The Long Story
by lupinlove
Summary: Lily thinks she's going insane, slowly, from the death of her parents and her best muggle friend. James can't do anything for her, and she must learn to overcome it on her own. it's already comepleted, so i'll update often. :D
1. Chapter 1

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS STORY!

J K ROWLING DOES!

AND FOR ALL I CARE SHE CAN HAVE THIS STORY TOO

(Though why, I do not know.)

Chapter 1,"ICE COLD LAKE!"

It was peaceful out here, just rocking on top of the lake; there wasn't a care in the world. The sun was warm and peaceful; smiling at her like an old friend she hadn't seen for years. The soft breeze was whispering, "Relax, _shh_, just relax, and forget everything."

She turned over and felt like she was going to fall, something was tipping, and her fingers were cold. Slowly waking up, she noticed that her fingers were in ice cold water, and gave a tiny scream that sounded like a bark. She sat upright, startled by her surroundings. She was floating on her mattress, in the middle of a huge lake.

"POTTER!" she screeched at the top of her lungs. Everyone in the castle woke with a start, running through the doors to see why they heard yelling. She was standing on the mattress, shivering, with her bright red hair wet

A head appeared out a window in a tower.

"WHAT?" said a voice that sounded much like a boy's voice. It belonged to none other than James Potter, the famous prankster and very talented quidditch player.

"YOU'RE DEAD AS SOON AS I GET OFF THIS BLASTED THING!" roared Lily Evans. James couldn't see it, but Lily's green eyes were blazing with hatred and anger.

"Why? What'd I do?" he called, ruffling his already messy jet black hair by nature, his hazel eyes shined with confusion.

"WHAT'D YOU DO! _WHAT'D YOU DO?_ I'M STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ICE COLD LAKE! Whoa…whoa…whoa…." The mattress was starting to rock back and forth; side to side, and she eventually fell in.

It took her a few seconds to get back to the surface, but when she did, she was shivering in a wild fit.

"POTTER, I'M GOIN TO KILL YO—" the last of her words were drowned out due to the powerful force of the giant squid pulling her in, thinking that Lily was his new play-friend.

"JAMES! HELP! H-" she was starting to drown just as the professors came. Professor McGonagall (sp?) was pulling out her wand when Dumbledore, the headmaster, put his hand in the way to stop her. He had his reasons, however inexplicable they seemed at that moment.

James, who had just decided to ignore her because she liked to pin all the unfortunate mishaps on him, (pranks and things she didn't enjoy one bit) was halfway into his dorm window when he heard the pleas for help blending together with his infamous name. Out of curiosity, he poked his head outside the window again. His heart sank to a state of cold desperation as he saw Lily Evans, the girl he had loved since his first year at Hogwarts. He ran back to his dorm and snatched his Cleansweep 5 from his trunk, plunging to the lake at a full seventy-foot dive.

The squid was slowly pulling Lily down to what was sure to be the deepest depths of the lake; her hand was barely visible. James swooped down and pulled her out and onto his broom her wet clothes soaking through his own warm and dry ones. James dropped down to the shore of the lake, and got off his Cleansweep and lay Lily down on the grass. He noticed that she wasn't breathing. There was only one thing he could think of: mouth to mouth recitation.

He held her nose together, opened her mouth, and blew with all his might three times, worried every second that she might not live. Then he broke, and put his hands on top of one another and placed them in the center of her chest, and pushed down counting "one…two …three…." He repeated this three times before she started to sputter and spat out water.

Madam Pomfrey came over to Lily clutching a blanket in one hand and a bottle of pepper- up potion in another. She quickly wrapped Lily in the warm fuzzy blanket, which didn't stop her from shivering, then poured the pepper –up potion down her throat. Steam was starting to pour out of her ears, and her shivering slowly subsided.

James had to carry Lily because even with the pepper- up potion, she still couldn't walk properly and Lily's brain felt so numb that she didn't care that her arch nemesis was carrying her to the hospital wing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, Hospital Wing

The next morning Lily woke up to find that she was in a white room, with white sheets, and white walls, and white… everything.

"Ah your awake now, how're you feeling?" asked the school nurse Madam Pomfrey.

"Wha' happened? Why am I here?" Lily replied, and then realizing what she was doing in the infirmary she muttered very grimly, "Oh, Potter…."

"Someone say my name?" replied the voice of James Potter, while ruffling his hair, and carrying a bouquet of lily flowers. "Here eat this," instructed Madam Pomfrey giving her three huge slices of chocolate.

"Potter, as soon as I get out of this bed I'm going to kill you with my bare hands!"

"Now, now, Lily is that the way you talk to the person who saved you from nearly drowning."

"Yes," said Lily huffily stuffing a piece of chocolate into her mouth.

"Oh James, what brings you here?" Madam Pomfrey asked curiously, for once he wasn't hurt, and she was very surprised.

"Just here to see Lily." He replied placing down the flowers on the bedside table.

"And now he's just leaving," she added, trying to get rid of him.

"Oh Lily you should have seen him, he swooped down and brought you out of the water lips blue, and shivering like crazy… nearly unconscious. Of course he had to perform mouth to mouth just to get you to breathe again-"

"HE WHAT?" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "YOU WHAT?"

"Gave you mouth to mouth of course, you weren't breathing at all, what else could I do. Its not like I enjoyed it," James lied.

At this Lily through off the covers and lunged at James trying to strangle him.

"Miss. Evans get back into bed this instant! James I'm going to have to ask you to leave, we don't want Miss. Evans to strangle you, now do we." She said while trying to pull Lily off of James.

She reluctantly got into bed and ate the last two pieces of chocolate, as she watched James leave, glaring at him the entire time.

Around 7 o'clock Lily's friend, Catherine Sugarsweets, with her long wavy auburn hair and dark brown eyes, came to save her from the horrid hospital food. "Hey Lils, feelin' better?" she said in a cheery tone, "I brought you some toast from the Great Hall, I heard the food here tastes like chalk," she said handing her a stack of toast.

"Oh… who brought the lilies, Lily?"

"Potter," she spat his name like he was something really awful she just tasted.

"Lily I don't get why you hate him so much, I mean he did save your life. Why not just be friends now anyway, it is our last year here."

"The day—" but Lily couldn't finish because Catherine cut her off.

"There's more than a half-a-year left, and your got head boy and girl duties together anyway," she pointed out.

"No way, never, nuh- uh, notta chance in heaven or damnation," she said in the most stubborn tone anyone had ever heard. Lily had to be the most stubborn person at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Fine Lil, but you should have seen him save you, it was as if he lost someone he loved for ages. He was so scared he lost you, and when you couldn't walk to the infirmary he carried you all the way," she said in awe, "and it was the bravest thing I've ever seen in my life." She knew to avoid the asking of why she called out James's name because she already knew the answer.

At this Lily practically gagged (she did the convulsion that you see people always do when they're about to gag,) but luckily she held it down. "Well fine, you don't have to become friends with him, but if I were you I'd at _least_ thank him, I mean he didsave your_ life_," she stressed the last word with great emphasis.

"Fine, I will, but I'm not going to become friends with him," agreed Lily, "that's the absolute last thing on my list, next to going out with Snape of course," she added seeing her friends expression.

"You know Lily, he's not that bad, you'd like him a lot if you didn't hate him so much," she said to Lily who had an unconvinced expression on her face, "Anyway, I gotta run, class starts in fifteen minutes. I'll tell James to come by cause you want to tell him something, and I'll bring your homework for you!" she shouted as she ran out the door, to her first class History of Magic, with Professor Binns, their ghost teacher. Lily couldn't argue with her because she was long gone out the door already.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, Very Hard Apologies

James was walking down to the History of Magic when he heard someone calling his name "James! Hey JAMES! Wait a sec," he turned around to see Catherine running towards him.

"Yeah, what do you want?" he asked.

"Lily wanted me to tell you to stop by the infirmary because she wants to tell you something," she lied.

Sirius, who just caught up with James, had a very bewildered look on his face. "Hey James, we better go we're gonna be late for class. Hello Catherine."

"In a minute Sirius," said James, "You were saying…."

"You should stop by the infirmary anytime, she's dead bored there, and you could bring along the guys too," finished Catherine.

"Yeah, sure, tell her I'll going during break after lunch."

"Wha…?"

"I'll tell you in class Sirius c'mon we only have five minute 'till the bell rings."

When they got to History of Magic there were only two seats left in the back so they took them. "Are you going to tell me what just happened," muttered Sirius. "Yeah, but give me a chance first."

James sat and explained everything to Sirius about that morning when he went to visit her, "And then, if you will believe, she tried to strangle me, right there, in front of Pomfrey. I dunno why she wants to see me again. Probably to finish what she started." When he finished talking the class only had five minutes left.

"Hey do you know where Remus is, I didn't see him at all in History of Magic, did you," he asked James.

"Nope."

"Hey guys," said a voice from out of no where.

"ARGH!" yelled James and Sirius together, "_Don't do that!_"

"Sorry," said Remus trying to hold back a snigger.

"So what class do we have next Padfoot?" Remus asked Sirius.

"Uh- Potions, I don't want to deal with Snape. He's even more unbearable since last year. "

"Gee I wonder why?"

"You know, I just don't know?" said Sirius missing the obvious sarcasm.

"Hm- maybe it's because you nearly got him killed," said Remus.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"But nothing, if you ask me he's got a good reason as to hate us."

"I agree with Moony. You should try to control your anger Sirius," said James.

"Ah…. What brings Mr.'s Potter, Black, and Lupin to my class?" said the cold, chilly, spine tingling voice of their Potions Professor.

"Potion cl-Sirius it's not _Wednesday_! It's _Friday_!" James scolded Sirius, "Err… sorry Professor Sourculdron, Sirius here got the days confused, we'll just be going now," explained James, each taking a step closer to the door.

"Not so fast Mr. Potter. I think I should take ten house points each from Gryffindor, and detentions for each of you," sneered Professor Sourculdron, her name really did suite her.

"Yes! I-I mean NO! Anything but a detention!" yelled and ecstatic Sirius.

"Well… we better be going we're late for Transfiguration," they ran out the door as fast as they could.

"Woo-hoo, I got a detention, I got a detention!" sang Sirius at the top of his lungs when they were in an empty corridor. He was doing a dance as well, pointing his index fingers in the air and dancing in a circle.

"How many 'till you beat the record?" asked James.

"Eighty-six," he replied, still doing his dance.

"Ah… Mr.'s Potter, Black, Lupin, how nice of you to join us, what may I ask kept you?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Well, you see Professor, Sirius here got the wrong days and we went to Potions instead of Transfiguration," Remus explained.

"Very well, but next time don't rely on Mr. Black for which classes you have. Today we will be Transforming bricks into flowers. Please pair up, and take a brick each. The spell's Flowchage (flow sha ahg)."

"_Flowchage!_" said James and Sirius at the same time. James turned instantly into a lily, but Sirius on the other hand turned into a puddle of water.

After about three attempts, Sirius gave up. "Argh, Prongs can you show me how to do this it won't change shape at all," complained Sirius.

"Your doing it right, just don't move your wand as much," James said without looking up, "but don't just stab it, just point your wand at it."

"Okay." Sirius did as James had directed him and he got a desk full of forget-me- not flowers. "I did it. I feel special, actually I feel hungry, what's for lunch?"

The bell just rang and they were heading off to lunch.

"Err…."

"Hi guys!" It was Peter Pettigrew not exactly a Marauder, just a tag – along, he worshipped the ground that James, Sirius, and Remus tread on.

"Hi Peter," they said together.

"So, do any of you want to come to the infirmary with me?" asked James, they just sat down for lunch, "Sirius is already going, gonna prank her?"

"Yep, going to change her all sorts of colors," replied Sirius.

"Sure, why not," Remus said standing up.

"Okay," said Peter with a tiny squeak.

"Catherine why does he have to come today, why can't I just say thank you tomorrow?" complained Lily, she was always a complainer.

"Because I said so, now what should we do with your hair, it's an awful mess."

"Comb it."

"No, well yes, but let's put it up, make you look pretty for James."

"I don't wanna look pretty for Potter!"

"You're right you don't wanna look pretty for Potter, but you do look pretty for Potter, even when you're a mess," said a voice from the doorway.

"Eat scum," insulted Lily.

"Lily remember why you wanted to see him? To-" Catherine tried to explain, but Lily cut her off.

"Excuse me, but you called him up here, not me," snapped Lily.

"Yes, but you wanted to tell him something in the first place."

"Fine, Potter, I'm very sorry about trying to strangle you," though she didn't sound it at all, "and I'm very happy to still be alive. Although tell me, how did you know to do mouth- to – mouth, I thought that was only a muggle thing?"

"Well I-I-"

"Yes, James, you happen to know a number of spells that can make people start breathing again. Does James like Lily, that would definitely explain why his brick turned into a lily flower during Transfiguration class," Sirius mused walking through the doors. Remus stayed very quite, after all he was the smart one, he knew when and when not to talk. Peter just squeaked a hello.

James muttered a silencing spell, pointing his wand over his shoulders so that you could see his mouth moving, but you could hear any words.

"So does this mean we can at least be civil, I mean, we do have head duties," asked a very hopeful James. Sirius was still talking to himself apparently unaware of the silencing spell James placed upon him.

"Fine," was all he got from Lily.

"Yes, well I'll be going now, by my very colorful Lily flower," James tried to stifle a laugh as he left but it was no use. He started laughing after he took three steps from Lily's bed. Lily looked down at her hands and found them a horrid shade of purple, then she looked at her hair and it was a very bad shade of blue with bright glow-in- the- dark patches. Then she picked up her mirror and saw the most horrid red eyes, blood red, they looked like they had the power to kill, red.

"POTTER!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, "GET BACK HERE AND CHANGE BACK MY SKIN, HAIR, AND EYE COLORS RIGHT!"

James was nearly out the door when he turned around and saw Lily standing right in front of him. She was shivering like crazy, because she was still not back to her right body temperature and she had to stay under the covers.

"You should get back in bed, you're still below average body temperature," said James.

"Make me," said a very cold Lily.

"Okay, either get into that bed right now and I'll change you back, or kiss me."

That definitely got her back into bed, "There, now change me back right."

James did as he was told. Her skin was back to white, he eyes changed to green, and her hair changed back to a magnificent shade of red.

"Thank you," said Lily very kindly, "now _LEAVE_!"

"Okay, okay, don't get your knickers in a bunch. Geeze," said James.

"Hope you feel warmer Lily," said Remus. Once again, Peter just squeaked. Sirius tried to say something, but realized that he didn't hear any sound come from his mouth.

To compromised for his lack of vocally outputting his farewell, Sirius conjured up a parchment and quill and wrote:

_Hope you feel as fiery as your hair soon and James like you._

"SIRIUS!" yelled James, "Don't mind him, he's just delirious."

Sirius scribbled something else down in hurried, big letters:

_HEY I'M NOT DELERIOUS! HE REALLY DOES!_

"C'mon, lets go I've got a lot of work I need to do," said James, trying to get them to leave."

It took a while but after a very long time he managed to get Sirius out of there, and into the common room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4, The Ultimate Prank

Lily was out of the infirmary by the end of the week, but she never forgot about the incident. She just decided that it was one of Siruis's jokes. She made Catherine swear not to tell anyone. It was Saturday, and she had no homework because she was working on everything while the days in the infirmary passed by.

She went down to the Great Hall for breakfast that morning, knowing that she wasn't going to have anything but toast because breakfast wasn't exactly her favorite meal of the day, but Catherine had made her come down.

When they got there, James and the rest of the Marauder's were sitting all the way at the end of the Gryffindor table, closest to the doors. Lily and Catherine usually sat there. Sirius called Catherine and Lily over to sit with them, Catherine went straight over to them, but Lily took as long as possible to get there.

"Feeling better?"

"Fine," she said grabbing a piece of toast.

"Is that all you're eating?" asked James.

"No Potter, I'm probably going to have another one before I become full," was all that was Lily's reply.

"Lily has never had anything besides toast for breakfast, she just won't eat. Believe me, I've tried. Oh, lookie the mails here," said Catherine.

A thousand of owls flooded the great Hall looking for their owners. "Hey there, Juniper, whacha got for me today?" Lily asked her owl. "Here have some toast," she said as she untied the letter and opened it.

"Who asked you today?" asked Catherine eating her eggs.

"Stephen," she said crumpling up the letter and throwing it over her shoulder. "Hey Stephen! My answer is no!" she yelled all the way across the hall.

"What was that about?" asked James.

"Nothing, Lily's just been getting asked out everyday by some guy ever since fifth year," was Catherine's answer, "Oh, here, I almost forgot, this was all your mail from last week."

"Thanks." She said as she opened up letters. "Oh my God, I have gotten at least three letters from Stephen, one from Josh, and one from- holy heaven- Diggroy (probably a joke or a bet). Gross. I don't know why they keep on asking me? It's not like I'm pretty, or the perfect size six," asked Lily.

"Lily, how many time must I tell you, you're beautiful, and mot every guy is as shallow as Malfoy. Then again, he is a slytherin." Rin said with a ditainful look on her face.

"Yes, yes. I know, I know." Lily replied in a dull, disbelieving voice.

"Hey Lily how come you never go out on dates?" asked James.

"Because I don't like them, and I don't know if I'm ready?"

"You're plenty ready, c'mon, I know you have been eyeing Ross over in Ravenclaw," Catherine said slyly.

"Look, I've got my reasons why, and if you must know I don't want to because- why in Gods name am I telling you this with them around? I'll tell you later if you really want to know." Lily knew Catherine would never remember because she had a horrible memory, almost like a fish. She got up and left.

The day passed by exceptionally fast for Lily, and soon it was dinner. She had no idea what would happen that during this meal.

It was loud when she walked into the hall for dinner. She saw Catherine sitting next to the Marauder's again. She walked over to her and sat down, and grabbed a plate and a piece of steak with mashed potatoes and peas, and started eating. When she finished she put her head down, she hadn't said a word though out dinner.

"Anything bothering you Lily?" asked a concerned Remus.

"No just tired," said Lily without taking her head off the table.

"I know something that will wake our Lily up," said an excited Sirius.

"Oh, and what would that be?" said Lily picking her head up off the table and looking at Sirius.

"This."

He pointed his wand directly at the Slytherin table and muttered a spell. Lily saw Snape go into a sort of trance, and walk forward toward the head table. Then once he got there he put his feet on his head and started saying "Fishy!" at the top of his lungs, then he did a hand stand to reveal very ugly, very stinky, very dark-used-to–be white underpants. At this some people started to look a little green, because they just finished eating. Then he got on his hands and knees and crawled up to people and started asking "Fishy?"

A couple of 'Fishy's' later, he started to turn into a huge yellow, purple, orange, and green bird with blindingly white eye's. After that, Sirius's last stage of the prank was in commencing. With a pop Snape turned into a rubber ball and started bouncing all over the hall. They were lucky that there was no food on the tables because there would be food flying everywhere.

When it finished was when Snape bounced back into his seat and turned back into a human, not a bird or a ball. It took about fifteen minutes for everyone to stop laughing, but once they did Dumbledore stood up. The Hall became uncannily silent.

"Some fifth year prefects have asked for permission to have a Christmas ball. The head students and the other prefects will be organizing it, and it is for all years. You will be required to wear dress robes."

"Lily! Oh my God, this is going to be so much fun," said a very giggly Catherine.

"Speak for yourself," grumbled Lily walking out of the hall.

"So you never did tell me why you never wanted to go out on a date," said Catherine.

"Damn, you weren't suppose to remember, and I'm not going to tell you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, Organizing

"Hey Potter, c'mere for a second," said Lily from the couch. She was facing the fire and didn't look up from it to see if it was James.

"Evan's, God, you scared me half to death, D'you have eyes in the back of your head or something? What do you want?" asked James walking over to her, then plopping down on the couch.

"No, and we have to plan this stupid ball, any ideas."

"Wait a sec. What do you mean by 'stupid ball', most girls I know are totally psyched about it."

"Well, I'm not most girls, any ideas?"

"Not really… but we could have sculptures of some sort, Chocolate swans, and a fountain that shoots chocolate syrup or something liquidy that tastes like chocolate."

"Or, we could have something normal, like floating mistletoe," mocked Lily.

"Oh sure mock me, mock me and all of my imagination."

"Whatever, how many Christmas trees are we putting up?"

"Twelve, thirteen counting the teachers tree."

"Formal?"

"Yes."

"Poop," said Lily under her breath, "Dress robes?"

"It doesn't matter, what about the people who want to go home and spend the holidays with their families?"

"Simple, we will schedule it for the day before they have to leave for the train ride home," explained Lily writing down everything they decided on.

"Can we put fake snow on the floor, and hang icicles from the ceiling?" asked James hopefully.

"Yes Potter. What should we do for food?"

"Er… how about we have the entire dinner and desert and dance combo in the hall, cause everyone will be there."

"Dates?"

"What about 'em?"

"Do we need dates Potter? Geeze."

"Yes."

"What about the first years, seems a little inappropriate for them, doesn't it."

"Yes, then people can come alone, and if they wish they can leave after they've had their dinner, if they don't want to attend."

"Okay sounds good, we just have to hold a meeting to see if any have a disagreement about anything. We also have to find out what they are giving as their contribution."

"I'll tell the Slytherins, and the Ravenclaws. You tell the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindor," stated Lily.

"Why can't I tell the Slytherins?" whined James.

"I thought that was an obvious matter, guess I was wrong. Potter you'd just go over and hex them, _then_ you would tell them about the meeting," explained Lily making sure she put the emphasis on then, "So you see the better path that you should take now."

"But-"

"A-ba-bab-pa-! but nothing. You tell Hufflepuff and Gryffindor got it. Tell them we meet in the Room of Requirement twenty minutes after lunch."

"Yes Lily."

"James and I got together last night and made a list of things for the ball. We want to see if you have any disagreements about it, and to find out what your contribution to the ball is," explained Lily passing out what she wrote to everyone, she provided copies for everyone by using a simple coping spell.

"What does 'muggle/wizard attire' mean?" asked a Slytherin with a confused expression on his face.

"The muggle children can wear either muggle or wizard clothing, and vice-versa.

"Uh, what about the music?" asked the sixth year Ravenclaw.

"That's my contribution. I thought that it might be nice if we have muggle music," Lily told everyone, "I'll find some wizard music if you want."

"Nah, let's go with the muggle. It would be a nice change, and all the muggle born kids would have a blast with it," said a fifth year Hufflepuff prefect, "by the way I'll conjure a chocolate fountain as my contribution."

"Sure but-"

"HEY! How come Charlie Weasley gets to conjure up chocolate fountains but when I ask it's 'No!'" pouted James.

"Be careful James, I think I see girls drooling like mindless idiots over you," countered Lily.

"Shit, where?" he yelled bolting to the nearest object to hide behind, which happened to be Lily.

"Get off Potter, I was only joking."

By that time every single person in the room was laughing, some were rolling on the floor. "Well I'm going to take this and run it by the Headmaster, coming Potter?" said Lily over the crowd of laughing people.

"Yeah, why not."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, A Day With James

"So… why doesn't Lily want to date anyone?"

"Because she's afraid to get hurt, she's afraid that he might leave her for someone much more beautiful, smart, funny, witty. Why do you want to know anyway? For James, right?" said Catherine to Sirius.

"Am I that transparent?"

"Yep," she said with a sort of unnecessary perk.

They were just walking around the corridors having a mindless conversation. After a while of silent walking, while debating with himself, he finally asked what he was hoping to have a good answer to.

"So do you have a date to the ball yet?"

"It's only been two days since it was announced, what do you think?"

He knew it was a rhetorical question but still said "I take that as a yes then."

"No, I haven't, it was a rhetorical question, I was only joking."

"Oh, well, do you, if you want to, do you want to go to the ball with me?" asked Sirius rather nervously, which surprised her because Sirius was never nervous around a girl.

"Sure, okay." _Yes! Yes! He asked me! Sirius asked me!_ She thought. You could visibly see that she was fighting to scream.

"Are you going to the ball with anyone yet?" asked James outta the blue.

"No."

"Will you go with me?" asked James a little more hopefully than he intended to sound.

"Why in the Lords name would I go to the ball with you?" asked Lily not really caring for the answer, "Besides, I'm probably not going to it anyway. Just to open the ball and listen to the music to see how everyone likes it."

"Uh- how do you plan to get the music to play here, isn't there too much magic in the atmosphere?"

"I didn't know you read, yes, but I'm top of the charms class remember, I found a nifty spell to allow muggle appliances to work here, but fist I've to ask the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. So, after Dumbledore agrees to what we've planed I'll send them a note."

"Wow, you've got this all planed haven't you."

"Yep. Cotton Candy." They had just reached the Gargoyle that marked The Headmasters office.

"What did you do this time James?" asked Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye.

"Nothing Professor we just came to check the list for the ball," said Lily. James on the other hand was thinking, _Damn, he found out about us hexing the Slytherins in their sleep again. Can't get away with Dumbledore watching over the castle, that sucks big time._

"Sounds good, but you'll need permission from the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifact office."

"I know sir, as soon as you approve of it I'll head straight for the owlry to send Magma with a letter that requests permission to bewitch a Muggle stereo and cassettes and records."

"Magma?" asked James.

Lily ignored him.

"Well I believe everything is in order. You may go down to the Kitchens and tell the elves what they should make. I daresay they love it when there's a Christmas ball, all the food and decorations, and cleaning. Why so quiet James, usually your out-and- about trying to talk yourself out of trouble," asked Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Sorry sir, just spaced out for a second, sorry. Ow," Lily had just kicked him.

"We'll go and notify the kitchens about the menu, and owl letter."

"What was that for?" hissed James as they were walking out the door.

"For showing so little disrespect for the Headmaster, and for being you," said Lily with a little smirk.

"What's wrong with me, and Dumbledore and I are like buddies."

"I'm not even going to start," she said as she walked to the owlry, James at her side. Once they got there Lily at on a hey stack and pulled out a piece of parchment and her quill that she charmed to never run out of ink and started to write for permission to charm a non-magical object. Once she finished she stood up and brushed off her clothes.

"Okay. Potter, how does this sound to you," asked Lily, handing him the letter she had just wrote.

_Dear, Mr. Perkins,_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is holding a Christmas ball. I thought that it might be nice if we played muggle music for all the muggle born children, and I thought it might be something different for the wizarding world as well. With your permission, of course, we could inchant the muggle music to play here._

_Sincerely, _

_Lily Evan, Seventh Year Prefect at Hogwarts. _

"Yeah that's good, he'll definitely let us play muggle songs."

"Great. Thanks," was all that was Lily's reply.

"How do you plan to get Magma up to the owlry?" asked a confused James, he knew Lily never brought her owl to the owlry.

"Simple. BLOB! BLOB! BLOB!" was all he got. He thought Lily was going insane, but he realized the next second that she wasn't because he heard a screech and the next second he saw a fiery red owl come through the doorway, and land on Lily's shoulder.

"Hey there girl, can you do me a favor and bring this to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office."

She nipped her nose as a sign that she would.

"Why is your owl red?" asked a bewildered James.

"Because in first year I read about a charm and decided it didn't sound too hard and tried it, except it backfired, and it turned her permanently red. It's funny really, I tried to turn her orange with purple eyes, instead I got red feathers and hazel eyes, I have no idea why though," explained Lily, as she watched Magma fly off with the letter, "well, let's go to the kitchen I'm starved. No wonder its three o'clock." She looked at the large clock on the wall.

After informing the kitchens about what they should have for dinner that night, James and Lily were walking down the Corridor.

"Uh, James, d'you think I could borrow your owl? I have to ask my mum to send me the music for the ball," asked Lily nervously.

"Yeah, but on one condition, you have to go to the ball with me."

"Never in my wildest dreams would I go out with you!" exclaimed Lily louder than she intended to sound.

"Relax, I was only joking," laughed James, "but tell me, why did you use my first name?" James asked slyly.

"Well, Uh… I gotta go ask mum for the music. 'Bye."

Lily took off so fast he hardly saw a red blur fly past him. Lily wanted nothing more than to be as far away from him as humanly possible.

"Lily guess what, guess?" asked an excited Catherine jumping up and down on her bed.

"Um… you found out how to do the liquefying charm without my help, no wait, I know. You found how to curl your nose hairs," said Lily jokingly, "what?"

"No, Sirius just asked me to the ball! ME! CATHERINE SARA SUGARSWEETS!"

"Oh my God, I can see why you look like it was you birthday," squealed Lily. Catherine had liked Sirius since third year.

"This has to be the best day of my entire life! Ouch!" she had just fallen off her bed. She got up so fast you would have hardly known if she really had fallen or not.

It took her a while to calm herself down, but when she did she sat on her bed with a serious expression.

"So, what are we going to do about you an James?" she asked.

"What about me and James?" asked Lily coolly.

"Well, it's pretty obvious, but clearly you don't find it as clear as I do."

"What's so obvious?"

"You know for someone as smart as you I'm surprised you haven't figured this out."

"Figured what out! Tell me!"

"Yes, Yes, okay, you should be able to understand this. You _LILY HALLEY EVANS _are falling for _JAMES HARRY POTTER_ whether you want to believe it or not!" yelled Catherine.

"WHAT! Never! He's so arrogant and conceited and –"but she couldn't finish because she was cut off be Catherine.

"- Cute, fun, smart, not to mention funny. Honestly Lily, you wouldn't know love if it danced in front of you wearing a sign that says 'HI I'M LOVE'. "

Lily scrunched up her nose at the very thought of her thinking anything of that nature towards James.

"Fine I wouldn't know love if it danced in front of me wearing a sign, okay, but there's absolutely no way, whatsoever, that I would like Pot Brain," said Lily shutting her hangings.

Lily awoke with a start, the only thoughts running through her mind at the moment was _James, no_. "No, James, you can't," she whispered.

"Lily, is that you? Why are you up? What about James?" asked Catherine groggily.

"No," whispered Lily. It was all coming back to her now, the child with the messy black hair and green eyes. James coming through the door, her running up to him giving him a kiss. James asking the baby if he had fun with mummy today. The door crashing open a high crackle, a flash of green light, James dead. Her running to the nursery telling him that mummy and daddy will always love him. Her pleading with darkly cloaked figure to take her instead of her baby, another flash of green, and then, her waking up.

"No, James, you can't be dead," she kept whispering over and over again.

"Lily what are you talking about? James isn't dead," said Catherine.

"You're wrong, I saw it all."

"Fine, If you don't believe me, then we'll go see for ourselves." Catherine pulled Lily out of bed and up the boys' staircase, until she reached a door with a plaque on it that read 'Seventh Year Boys' Dormitory'. Catherine knocked on the door very loudly.

"Who in the world would be up at three in the morning?" a very grumpy James asked getting out of bed to answer the door, "Catherine why are you here?" asked James when he saw who it was.

"It's an emergency. Li-" began Catherine, but Lily had just thrown herself at James.

"You're alive, you're alive, but how? Doesn't matter, I can't believe it," said Lily rejoicing.

"She hasn't been in her right mind since she woke up from a nightmare. She was shouting something that sounded an awful lot like 'Not Harry please! Anything but Harry!' Are you all right?" James looked petrified when he heard the name Harry.

"Prongs tell whoever it is to go away, we've got that thing tomorrow, and I don't want to fall asleep in the middle of it," grunted a sleepy Sirius.

"I hardly doubt that you would even if you were sleep deprived," joked James.

"I still need my beauty sleepy, so shut the door and say good-bye to whoever your talking to."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. Lily can we go downstairs for a second?" he asked walking down the staircase followed by Lily.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Lily still smiling at the fact that James was alive.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I wasn't in the beginning, but now I'm fine."

"Positive?"

"Yes- no. I was really scared James. It was so real. I thought you were-" by now she had her face buried in her hands and her elbows rested on her knees.

"It'll be okay, nothings going to happen. We're all perfectly safe, but next time Lily, I want you to go straight away to Dumbledore, but get me first, okay. -(Lily nodded to show that she understood)- D'you think you could get to sleep again?" asked James very concerned.

"No, probably not."

"Why not try? I'll stay down here with you, if you want?"

"Please, that was too scary to dream twice."

"Of course I'll stay," said James sitting on the opposite corner of the couch.

The next morning Lily awoke to find a pair of arms holding her close, she took a while to remember why she was in the common room. She didn't want to wake James, so she tried to loosen his grip. Instead he didn't wake, but said, "No, Puffkin, don't go!" Lily had to stifle her laughter. She wiped her body around so that they were face-to- face.

"James, _James_, wake up, before the entire house comes down and finds us," Lily said shaking him.

"So," said James, obviously pretending he was asleep.

"_So_. What kind of model do you want to set for the younger children?"

"Fine, but first you have to give me a kiss," a devil-ish grin forming on his face.

Lily with some fast thinking said okay, and kissed him on the cheek. "You never said where," pointed out Lily playfully.

"Damn, you're just too smart for me," both her and James smiling brightly as James let go of her. Lily ran up to her dormitory to get ready for school, and for the rest of the day she couldn't get the morning out of he mind. She was furious with herself, yet very happy.

"Lily, are you going with anyone to the dance? You know it's only a week away."

"Yes, Rin, I know perfectly well it's only in a week, and no I do not have a date, nor do I want one. I already told James I'm just going to see how people like it and to open the ball," she stated to Catherine, not looking sad or miserable, just perfectly normal.

The hall had just filled with a lot of owl hooting and screeches.

"Lily, when did you send your owl?" asked Catherine.

"A couple of weeks ago, why?"

"Because she's finally back."

"Hey there, let's hope it's a good answer," greeted Lily taking the letter off her leg.

_Dear, Ms. Evans,_

_You really had no need to write this letter because the ministry has no control over Hogwarts, but better safe than sorry is what I always say. Your idea about the muggle music at a wizard's ball sounds absolutely wonderful. I have enclosed a letter of permission to bewitch the anything muggle made, i.e. watch, clock, music, television, ect., so that it can play at Hogwarts permanently. There is also a list of spells that I found that would be useful for this sort of business. _

_Sincerely, _

_Perkins _

_Head of the department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office_

"Yes. Rin, we get to listen to muggle music, It'll feel just like home. Well except without our homes or families."

"Really Lil? Yes, I miss that music so much, it's just much better than wizard," Catherine was bouncing up and down in her seat. Ever since that summer in third year at Lily's, Catherine had been nuts about muggle music.

"I have to go tell James. See you," said Lily getting up, walked up to James and tapped him of the shoulder.

"Guess what?" asked Lily smiling very wide. "We got permission," the smile not coming off her face.

"You're kidding, let me see," asked James taking the letter from her hand.

"Awesome, guys, guess what?"

"You and Lily finally hooked up," said a joking Sirius.

"No, actually, you know how we always listen to the Weird Sisters and other wizard bands and people at these balls. Well, here's a change; we're going to listen to muggle music. Lily says it's better than clanking chains any old day."

"Oh, it's not better, it's the best." Catherine had just come over; "I heard it every year since third year when I went to Lily's for the summer."

"That sounds cool, hey you guys we're going to be late for charms if we don't get a move on," Remus had just checked his watch.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, The Christmas Ball

"Potter, what have you done to Pete, Lerel, Chaz, David, Clara, Carlos, and Danielle, and everyone else?" yelled Lily marching into the boys dormitory.

"Who?" asked a very baffled James.

"Ugh, idiot, my clothes. Where are they?" she asked giving him a death stare.

"Why did you name your clothes?"

"Because I can. Now, where are they?" this time walking so close that their nose were almost touching, eyes like little slits, no green tint visible.

"Erm… did you name all of them?"

"I named practically everything in the dorm room. Now tell me where they are before I _kick your sorry ass_."

"Sirius, uh, a little help please?" James asked taking a step back.

"Nope, sorry mate, I want to see you wiggle you way out of this one." There was a smirk forming on his face.

"Remus?"

"Sorry, same here."

"Peter?"

All James got back in return was a squeak.

"Fine don't help out a friend whose about to lose his life. Lily, aren't we a little close."

"I want everyone back here by the time I count to three. One… two…thr-"

"Hey, is that McGonagall?" Lily turned around so fast that if James hadn't ducked to get his invisibility cloak and threw it over himself. By the time Lily had turned around, she couldn't she him at all.

"Where is he Sirius?" asked Lily threateningly.

"Who, your shirt, or James?"

"My shirts name is Carolyn, so therefore the only he that I could possibly be referring to is Pot Brain," stated Lily now rounding on Sirius.

"I have absolutely no idea where he is."

"Are you suggesting, that he just became invisible?"

"Yes…well…uh…."

"Fine, but tell him the next time I see him he's going to be very sorry he stole my clothes. No one and I mean _no one_, messes with a very angry Lily Evans. Good day boys."

When she shut the door, Sirius said that James could come out of the cloak. "God, that was the most scariest experience of my entire life, please save me." He took Lily's threat very seriously; he knew what she was capable of.

"You better get her back her clothes before she dose something very drastic."

"I know Remus, I know, I'm as dead as a dirt. _Accio Clothes_!"

"Here better take this, just in case you need a quick getaway. Oh, and the girls staircase is charmed so the only way to get up there is to walk along the walls. I would advise putting everybody into your backpack, so they don't fall."

James stuffed all of Lily's clothes into his backpack and walked down the stairs with his invisibility cloak in the other. "Thanks for the advice Sirius."

Bit Sirius wasn't listening, he was too busy talking to Remus.

"Honestly, who the hell would name all their clothes? She must have a lot of time on her hands Moony."

When he got to the girl's stairs case and took a step, the floor began to tilt and at once James thrust himself up so that his legs were on one end of the wall and his feet on another end. It took him a while before he reached Lily's dormitory. When he did, he performed the unlock charm that he used on countless occasions, and jumped into the room. He ran to Lily's trunk, and thrust it open and started putting he clothes away when he realized something. _Wait a moment, Sirius should be here putting this away, not me, he took them. He's going to get it when I get back. _He made a mental note to hurt Sirius. When he finished he put on his invisibility cloak, and walked out the door, then sat. The stairs turned into a slide, a very slippery slide, and slid all the way down, invisible. When he got to the bottom he got up and started running to his dorm, Sirius was going to get it big- time.

When James got to his dorm, he saw Sirius laughing with the rest of them. "I don't believe you, you are dead. I was so close to get Lily to stop hating me, and there you go."

"Sorry, but…but…James she named her clothes, and you should have seen the look on your face! Price-"

"_Silencio!_ I don't want to hear it!" James shot five more curses at Sirius before he was satisfied with what he saw. Sirius had sprouted arms from his head, boils all over his face, colors of green and silver, his feet were now turned to cauldron that made Sirius yelp in pain but no sound was heard due to the Silencing charm he had performed earlier.

Remus undid the Silencing charm and heard Sirius yelling, "James… sorry… take these off feet…Won't do again… Remus help… James…!" He was doing a funny dance, because of the cauldrons. "Really, really sorry… won't ever do again…swear."

"Prongs, I think he's suffered enough," put in Remus.

"Fine." James said the counter curse and Sirius was lying on the floor, holding his feet.

"Lets hope his kids don't cause to much trouble," James gave Sirius a death glare. "I'd hate to find out what their punishment would be."

It was the night of the ball; girls were in their dormitory getting g ready. Only one girl stayed behind to read her book. "Shouldn't you be upstairs with the others getting ready?" asked James who had just come over.

"What makes you think I'm an ordinary girl? I don't take hours to get ready for a ball, all I'm going to do is slip into my dress, and brush my hair. That should only take five minutes at the least, maybe ten… depends on how knotted this cursed hair of mine is."

"Okay then…. What'cha readin'?"

"_Princess in Love_, by Meg Cabot. I've almost finished."

"What is about?"

"Well, it's about a girl named Mia, and she thinks she is a loser, a freak, and ugly, and she's had this crush on this guy who's her best friends brother. She likes him and has been sending him love letters anonymously, but she has a boyfriend already. It's just a huge mess. Right now I just got to the part where she and him break up, and her crush, Michael, has just written across this computer screen:

_Roses are red, _

_Violets are blue,_

_You may not know it,_

_But someone loves you._

"A computer is a muggle thing, it's a muggle book, and she just ran in the bathroom," finished Lily.

"Okay…." He really wasn't expecting that big of an explanation, _but then again, you have to expect the unexpected with Lily, _he thought.

"Lily there you are, what are you doing down here, you need to get ready," Catherine was pulling Lily up knocking over her book.

"Rin, I don't know what page I'm on," complained Lily, "and why do I have to get ready a whole two and a half hours earlier? I'm not going with anyone, I told you before.

"Yes, yes, but you're opening the ball with James, all eyes are on you, and you have to look beautiful."

"I don't _have_ to be beautiful, I just have to look presentable."

"Lily, we have to go put on Alex then we have to do you face with Gregory, Dylan, Chad, and Maggie, and everyone else," said an exasperated Catherine.

"So, I don't want to look pretty for anyone, especially Potter," stated Lily firmly.

"HEY!"

"Shut it! I'm sitting here until ten minutes before, and you can't stop me," she sat down on the chair, and started looking for her page.

"Lily you are forcing me to take drastic measures."

"Go ahead and try," dared Lily.

Catherine just glared at her for a minute, then performed the banishing charm. Lily was heard screaming at the top of her lungs that she didn't want to get ready for the stupid ball, and that she wanted her book back. "_Accio_ _book_!"

The book came up and floated past James and disappeared up the stairs.

"FINE, IF I PUT OF THE STUPID DRESS AND BRUSH MY HAIR WILL YOU LET ME GO AND READ IN PEACE!" Lily screamed.

"NO!" Catherine was screaming back.

"WHY?"

"BECAUSE I HAVE TO DO YOUR MAKE-UP ALSO!"

"I REFUSE TO PUT ON ANY MAKE-UP AT ALL, THAT'S STUFF IS DEGRADING TO WEMEN EVERYWHERE!"

"YOU STILL HAVE TO PUT ON YOUR DRESS!"

"I TOLD YOU I'M GOING TO DO THAT _TEN FRECKIN' MINUTES BEFORE I HAVE TO LEAVE_, NOW LET ME GO AND READ IN PEACE! THANK YOU!"

Lily came storming down the girl's staircase, stomping her feet very hard and sitting in the chair she had previously occupied, opened her book and started read, smiling, blushing, then biting her lip.

"Lily, why are you blushing, and smiling, and biting your lip?" asked James.

"They just kissed. Oh my God, they kissed. Finally, oh, I have to go and tell Rin. She'll be ecstatic. I'm so happy. Can I have that pillow behind you for a second?" she asked James.

"Thanks." She lowered her face into the pillow and screamed out a muffled "Oh, my God!" When she removed the pillow, her face was very red; then she ran up the stairs yelling "Rin! Rin!"

"Geeze, when that girl reads a book, she really gets into it, doesn't she Padfoot?"

Sirius who came over while Lily was screaming into the pillow replied (sarcastically), "Just a tad."

A moment later James heard two girls yelling "OH MY GOD!"

Lily didn't come down after that; he checked his watch and it read 6:50, ten minutes before the ball.

He walked up to his dorm and put on his dress robes. And tried to comb his hair. Sirius was there, ready and waiting, sitting on the edge of the bed, Remus was brushing his teeth, and Peter was trying to get on a pair of blue dress robes.

"Did you hear the yelling, what was that all about?" asked Sirius.

"Lily didn't want to get ready for the ball, and Catherine tried to make her. You just can't make that girl do anything if she doesn't want to," explained James.

"Stubborn as a mule that one," said Remus coming out of the bathroom.

"Yeah well, what can you do? We've got to get going it's starting soon and Prongsie has to be there for the opening of it so…," said Sirius rising from his bed.

"Yeah let's go."

James walked down to the common room because he had to wait for Catherine to come down because they were going together.

Catherine and Lily were the fist to emerge, though still smiling at the fact that they kissed. Lily was wearing a dress that had a square cut neck line and the sleeves were flowing down that they reached halfway from her knee to her ankle. Her hair was down and looked really wavy, but not too wavy. Catherine had worn a topaz dress, that was sleeveless, but has a square cut neckline all the same as Lily's. Catherine hair was all the way down to her elbows, whereas Lily's was halfway down her back.

When Catherine saw Sirius she walked over to him, but she was still talking to Lily. "So, what d'you think might happen next? D'you think they'll hook up?"

"I hope they do. You can't just play with a girls feeling like that can you, besides, it's Michael, Rin, he's not the type to play with a girl, and the way he said I love you to her it was just, you can't explain how much he really did love her. Hi guys," said Lily acknowledging that they were there.

"Er…"

"They're still talking about a book Sirius. Hi," explained James.

"Oh… hi… um shall we go then," said Sirius nervously.

"Yes let's, the faster we get there the faster I can get back and start doing something worthwhile with my time," agreed Lily. Then followed her out of the portrait hole.

When they reached the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall was yelling for the Heads and Prefects come over to where she was. "See you soon." Lily turned and started walking toward McGonagall, James following her. As Lily was walking she could see people dressed in either muggle dresses or suites, and if they weren't dressed like that they wore dress robes of many colors.

"The house prefects are to dance with each other, and the Head Students the same. Line up, girl on right, boy on left, Head Students in the front, Prefects behind. The doors are going to open in a few moments," explained McGonagall.

James turned to look at Lily standing beside him, with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face, muttering to herself. "What's wrong?" asked James.

"Nothing," grunted Lily.

"C'mon the doors have opened," James took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"Let's get this done and over with," grumbled Lily.

The music started and they danced. "I swear if you move us underneath the mistletoe I'm going to kill you," said Lily, the scowl never leaving her face.

"Tiny problem there, you see, the mistletoe moves on its own and Helen, in Hufflepuff, charmed it so the when two people are under it the have to kiss," James could see the mix of angry, and worry in her eyes, and added hastily, "I told her not to, but she wouldn't listen. Why do you name your clothes?"

"Because I can, why do you care? You think I'm a nutter, don't you?" James's attempt of changing the subject wasn't working to well.

"No, just curious, are you going home for the holidays?" asked James, once again trying to change the subject.

"Yes, we have this tradition where we put everything up together, the mistletoe, the tree, everything," said Lily dreamily.

"Yeah, well, my mum just bought a new place and now Sirius and me have to move everything during the holidays. Then when we get out of school we'll have to move everything back into our new place after we graduate. It makes no sense, but that's my mum," explained James grinning.

"Wait, wait, wait, you and Sirius live together, since when?"

"Since the end of fifth year, during the summer. He showed up on his broom with his trunk and everything. Of course we let him stay, his parents seemed thrilled that he was gone," explained James.

"Why do you take books so seriously, it's not real?" again James asked a question.

"Because when I read a book I pretend like I'm the character. Though in this case I am the character, well for except the fact that I'm not tall. There's always a connection between the reader and the character that most never find out, but if you look you'll find one. I know it sounds childish but…." Lily just stopped explaining.

They just swayed there for a few moments unaware of the time passing by, then James asked, "Lily, why do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you, it's just that you annoy me, and I also hate myself for something else and sometimes, okay most of the time, I take it out on you."

"I know what you're afraid of," James whispered in her ear after a couple seconds of silence.

"No you don't." Lily's voice was on the verge of breaking, and she looked terrified.

"Yes, I do, you're afraid of falling in love, because you don't want to get hurt. You don't want him to play with your feelings like a toy. You're afraid of love."

"So what if I am? What are you going to do about it, huh, what?" Lily looked angrier than James had ever seen her before.

"Look up," was James's only reply. There were three mistletoes hanging over them. Everyone was starring at them, silent as ever; the only sound was the music.

"You're de-" but Lily was cut off because James had just kissed her. It was like nothing she ever felt before. She felt like warmth had touched every fiber of her being. When James broke it everyone was looking at them, "-ed." Lily finished.

She just stood there, in a daze, then muttered, "Go…must…bye…. " Lily was shacking from head to foot as she walked out the door. Everyone moved so that there was a pathway leading to the doors, no eyes left her. She could just barely hear the lyrics to the song as she stumbled out: _Do we know more than we knew then/ Or do we know less and we just pretend/ Should I ignore my heart and walk away/ Your eyes tell me more than words will ever say/ Should we take a chance and dance the last dance/ Should we spend the night one more time/ Caught up in this romance/ Or maybe wait and see/ Let it be, the way that it will be/ Should we take a chance and dance the last dance._

_Where…go…need…think…Headroom…._ Was all Lily could think as she walked to the Gryffindor tower and up to the fireplace and said, without thinking, "What?" and the fireplace sprang to life, allowing her access to the room.

_No, no, no, no, Lily, what have you done, what? This can't be happening to me. No, I did not just kiss him; I did not kiss anyone. _

_You can't deny it, the feeling you got when your lips touched_. Something spoke truthfully in her mind.

_Yes I can, you know having a conscience is no help at all, none whatsoever._

Lily was lying on the couch with her face in the pillow. The Headroom was created to look like the home of the person occupying it. Lily thought that this was the perfect place for thinking. Sometimes she would come in here while no one was watching and do schoolwork or write things. It was her thinking room.

I _better get to the dorm and start getting ready to sleep. The others wont be back for at least a half hour, I expect they'll want to ask me a load of questions, thank God the train leaves tomorrow_, thought Lily walking up the stairs to get some sleep that she thought she really deserved.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8, Home

The next morning Lily woke up so early the sun had not risen yet. Lily would have started packing if she hadn't finished packing the night before, so she decided to run down to the kitchens and get some breakfast. As she walked she had a great upsurge to jump on a broom and fly away from Hogwarts, then she remembered that she had always been afraid of flying. For the fist time since she came here, she had never wanted to leave so badly.

"Hello, Miss Lily, what can Elfric get for you?" asked the squeaky voice belonging to a tiny elf with golf- ball sized silver eyes.

"Just some toast and water please," said Lily very kindly.

The elf took no more than a minute or two to bring her the toast. "Here yous go," piped up the tiny elf handing her the toast.

"Thank you, do you want to join me?" asked Lily kindly, Elfric had always been her favorite, and Lily thought him adorable.

"Oh, Elfric wished he could, he _so_ wishes, but you see he has to help the others, one elf got sick last night," declined Elfric.

"Tell him or her that I hope they feel better, 'Bye Elfie."

"Oh he will be mostly pleased, no one ever bothers with a sick elf, 'bye Miss Lily."

Lily took a walk around the lake, muching on her toast, watching the sunrise. The sun was almost fully up, which would mean the others in the room she shared would be up soon, and if she wanted to avoid all questioning she had to get up there soon.

_Good_, she thought, _they're not up yet._ She crawled into bed as quietly as she could. Then lied down and pulled out a photo album. She looked at the pictures of the past and let everything drift to her. Her father hugging her, her sister and her standing next to each other with cute smiles on their faces. Lily with her tooth missing, the Christmas tree decorated messy. Lily as a baby in a pretty white dress, her mum and sister standing by it.

Memories washed over her one by one, and tears began to overtake her. She missed her childhood so much; she'd give almost anything if she could have it back.

"Lily, c'mon, you should wake up now, its breakfast," said Catherine in her quietest voice.

"I already had, and I'm not going down anyway," said Lily.

"Okay, I'll see you when I get back then," Catherine started to walk toward the door, then stopped abruptly, "Lily would you like me to empty the room so you can get ready?" she asked opening the curtain a tiny bit.

"Thanks, you're great," was Lily's reply.

"Plug your ears, it's about to get loud," said Catherine smiling widely.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," said Lily smiling equally widely, plugging her ears with her fingers.

"Nothing, now plug those ears for your own health. WAKIE, WAKIE, EGGS AND BAKIE! NOW! C'MON PEOPLE UP, UP AND AT 'EM, BREAKFAST TIME!"

"Shut up Cat, we're trying to sleep!" shouted a girl with blonde hair, and brown eyes.

"SLEEP IS FOR THE TRAIN RIDE, CLEMINTINE, ITS BREAKFAST TIME! C'MON, DOWN TO THE GREAT HALL!"

"If we go and have breakfast will you let us sleep in peace?" asked a blue eyed brown haired girl from the bed beside Clemintine.

"YEP-ER-ROONY! POSITUTLEY LAUREN!"

"Don't know how Lily can stand you, c'mon guys lets eat," replied Penelope, who had black hair with dark chocolate eyes was walking out the door followed by everyone in the dorm room but Lily. Once she heard the door shut, she hopped out of bed and brushed her hair and teeth, then put on a pants and a shirt that were too big for her. She put back her pictures of the past and closed her trunk. She brought it down to the common room and put it with the others, and ran back up the stairs again.

Lily left a note for Catherine waiting on her bed telling her that she was thankful for what she did this morning, and that she was going to the Hogsmeade station to get on the train fist, and that she should be in compartment 149, or the very last one.

She put the note on her pillow, and ran out of the castle doors. Once she reached the Gamekeeper's hut she slowed to a walk. She looked out of the carriages so much that she knew which way she should go. She took a left at the gates, and kept walking.

Out of no where a horseless carriage showed up, and the door magically opened, Lily knew Dumbledore had sent it, it was just like him, so she hoped in. The carriage turned around and started going toward the Hogsmeade station. When it stopped by the scarlet train Lily got out and walked to the last compartment.

Lily sat there for so long that she fell asleep, when she woke up the train started to move and Catherine was sitting across from her. "Hey sleepy, what do you want to do during the ride?" asked Catherine.

"I don't know Rin, what should we do. Well knowing you, you'd want to prank someone, so lets see whom we could prank. How about Valerie Smalldoer, you know in Slytherin?"

"Yeah, what should we do to her? Let's fill her compartment with bugs, what bug does she hate the most?" she asked with a devilish grin.

"Er… I think cockroaches."

"Okay, large rainbow colored cockroaches coming right up."

Catherine flicked her wand and the next second there was a loud shriek from next door. Lily and Catherine burst out laughing so hard they fell on the floor.

The door came sliding open the next moment and a girl with a black haired girl and a snotty expression was standing there. "You…you…you'll pay big time." She was about to curse them into oblivion but the lady who pushed the trolley came up to them. "Is anything wrong here?" she asked kindly.

"No. Everything's good here. Just a bit of disagreement, nothing we can't work out," was Lily's quick answer.

"Okay, back to your compartment dear, I'll be there in a minute." Valerie shot her a glare as she back toward her compartment.

"Ah, just like the good old times," declared Lily after they bought some snacks from the trolley.

"Yeah, that was fun, on the ride back who should we do?" Catherine asked smiling maliciously.

"Narcissa Black, she need to fix that face of hers, it looks like a rat crawled up her nose."

"Here, here, watch out Narsissy, you're next!" Both girls had a fit of giggles that lasted for a while.

Once they subsided Catherine asked "So, what are you doing for Christmas this winter?"

"I dunno, I hope something quiet, but I'm not so sure how quiet it could get with Petunia's snores. You?"

Catherine gave a giggle when Lily mentioned Petunia's snores, the answered," I don't really know, we usually have everyone in the family come over. I have a feeling it's going to be the same, thank The Lord I'm in seventh year I won't have to hear Jacob complain about his nasty feet." At this they both gave a snort of laughter and continued talking.

When the train had come to a stop, Lily looked as excited as ever, but still very sad, "Hey Rin, thanks for not talking about…er…last night. Have a happy holiday, see you when we get back, remember last compartment as always."

"Yeah, no problem, last compartment, 'bye Lily," she said with a hug.

"Happy Christmas Lily!" Mr. and Mrs. Evans said together.

"Happy Christmas Mum and Dad, what are we doing this year?" asked an excited Lily.

"You know your friend Scarlet, well her mother signed her up for a ball, I think it's called the Lady and Gentlemen's Ball, their suppose to teach you how to proper young men and women. Anyway, Scarlet was completely set against it because she didn't want to go alone, so I thought that it would be nice if you accompany her," explained Lily's mother.

"Mum, you didn't, I don't want to go, why?" complained Lily.

"Because you and Scarlet are friends, and I thought you might enjoy having her company and she, yours."

"But, I don't wanna, you know how I hate getting dressed up."

"Sorry Lily, but you're going."

They just pulled up to their driveway, started to unload the car, "Mum, I don't wanna, and you can't make me!" Lily started to slam the car door, and was now stomping on the stairs.

"I already paid 700 non-refundable pounds, now you're going and that's that!"

"No!"

"I thought that you didn't need to be thought how to be a proper lady, but apparently I was wrong, now go up to your room, now!"

"Fine! Urgh!" Lily stomped all the way up to her stairs and slammed the door behind her. A wonderful way to begin the holidays.

I need to talk to someone, thought Lily, Scarlet! Lily opened her window and picked up an orange bouncy ball, and thrust it at the window directly across from her. She did this a couple of times more before the window finally opened.

"Scarlet, hey scarlet, can you believe what our mother's are making us do?"

"Who's Scarlet?" a voice that sounded like a boy answered.

"Sorry. Who're you? No!" Lily had only seen the very messy jet-black hair the belonged to James Potter. She slammed her window down and ran downstairs to find her mother.

"Mum, Dad, where'd Scarlet go, why is Potter next door?" yelled Lily running down to the kitchen.

"Lily dear, they moved down the street about a month ago. They now live at house thirteen, not four. Didn't I tell you?"

"Apparently no, and why didn't you tell me _he_ now lives there?" Lily's temper was starting to get the better of her.

"I didn't think is was that big of a deal," explained her mother, "but apparently I was-"

"Wrong! I'm going for a walk." She grabbed her cloak and slammed the door behind her.

"I don't know anything anymore, my home, my family, or my friends," Lily whispered as she walked down to house number thirteen. She knocked on the door, "Hey Scar, can you believe what our mothers making us do?" Lily said as soon as she opened the door and was greeted be a friendly-faced red head with blue eyes.

"I know I hate it, come in it's like ice out there."

"Thanks," said Lily walking in, "I can't believe everything, I don't know anything anymore you know that."

"What don't you know Lily."

"My family, my life, my home, my neighborhood, and my friends. You know I tried getting you next door and instead I got Potter."

"Who's Potter?" She asked bewildered.

"He's this arrogant toe-rag that thinks he's all high and mighty. Everyone at school thinks he's king or something. Positively unbearable."

"Well what can you do? He lives next door, you don't have to put up with him that much do you?"

"Are you kidding we're both head students, I don't know how he became a head student, he pranks so often, they've even got a little gang, him and his pals."

"Let's change the subject, why not? What about that Ball we have to go to?"

"Urgh, I know, the second one in the same month, getting dressed up twice. What's so funny."

"Nothing, nothing, we have a rehearsal ball tomorrow, you know, we're suppose to get our escorts and all."

"Great, just dandy," Lily replied sarcastically.

"I know isn't it. I was just going to make some hot chocolate, you want?"

"Sure, where's your mum?"

"Out, she's got a date." Scarlet explained bustling around the kitchen. "So, tomorrow are we picking you up or are you picking me up?"

"I have to ask, can I have your new number, I don't want to accidentally call the Potters, come to think of it I don't think they even have a phone," Lily thought out loud.

"Why won't they have a phone?"

"Amish."

"Oh, okay."

"Well, 'bye, gotta go home, I'm probably in so much trouble. I think I'll take the latter up, I don't feel like arguing much."

"Lily you like to think out loud don't you?"

"Yep-er-roony," and with that said she shut the door behind her.

It started to snow on her way home, she loved snow. It was her favorite thing to watch, taste, smell, feel, hear, and everything. Snow took away all of her troubles, all of her fears.

As the snow came tumbling over her she started to recite a poem:

Oh, snow,

You put on such a show,

So pearly white,

Never a fright,

So fluffy,

Like a marshmallow.

So clean,

So innocent,

Like a child,

Sleeping through the night.

Oh take me back,

To the past,

And let me see the light

That emits from you so bright,

So that I never forget,

The wonders of this world.

When she reached her house she went down the side instead of to the front door. It was almost buried by the time Lily found it, the latter that she and Scarlet used many times when they were younger. She pushed off all the snow and propped it up by her window. Scarlet and Lily used to go to each other's room climbing up and down the latter. When Lily was halfway to her window someone said, "_What are you doing?_"

"Going to my room, what do you think?"

"Why not go through the front door?"

"Because Potter, I don't feel like it." Lily had been exceptionally cold to James since the kiss.

"Oh."

Lily slid her window open, and climbed through. "I need to go take a bath, I feel like an ice cube. Then I'll ask who's bringing whom to the dinky ball rehearsal," said Lily gathering up her clothes, and heading to the bathroom.

"Hello Petunia dear, how are you today?" said Lily being so sweet that Petunia started to look sick, and ran for her bedroom.

"Nice to see you haven't changed."

After Lily finished her bath, feeling very warm inside and out, she went downstairs to find her parents sitting on the couch watching the news.

"I have a question, who's bringing whom to the rehearsal thingy tomorrow?"

"Scarlet's mother volunteered, I drop you off for the real thing," explained Mrs. Evans.

"Oh, okay, g'night."

"Night sweetums," said Lily' father.

Lily awoke the next morning and quickly combed her hair, and brushed her teeth. It was sort of her morning ritual. When she went downstairs for breakfast she found a surprise waiting for her. Scarlet was waiting for her in the kitchen.

"Hi, why are you here so early?"

"We have to go, it's not my fault they decide to start rehearsal at eight in the morning," explained Scarlet.

"What-oh, I totally forgot, I'll go get changed," replied Lily grabbing a pancake and stuffing into her mouth while running up the stairs. Lily quickly grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans, and ran down the stairs.

"Ready," said Lily scouring. She was always known to be on time.

The drive was a long drive, but luckily Scarlet's mother had always like to put on the music. Lily liked to sing along to her favorite songs. When they got there Lily thanked Scarlet's mum for brining her, and both girls said their good-byes. Scarlet told her mother that she should come back around six 'o' clock.

"Guess who's going to be here because his mum's making him?" said Scarlet playfully.

"Er…Paul!" yelled Lily running up to him, "Nancy, Ron, oh my God I missed you guys so much!" she yelled running up to everyone and giving them hugs.

"Settle down, settle down, let's take attendance, then we'll set you up with your escorts," said a plump woman with graying brown hair.

"When I call your name say here or present. Carla Diego!" she started reading off from the list.

"Here," said the girl with mousy blond hair.

"Carmen Chago!"

"Here," she had blonde hair, with very bright blue eyes.

"James Potter!"

"I didn't do it!" someone shouted from the door. Everyone turned to see who said that. They all saw a messy black hared boy with hazel eyes.

"YOU!" shouted Lily pointing at him.

"ME!" shouting James pointing at himself. Not realizing that it was Lily who spoke.

"What are you doing here?" they yelled at the same time.

"I asked you first!"

"No I asked you!"

"Shut up!"

"No you!"

"Stop saying what I'm saying!"

"No you stop!"

"DAMN!" they continued to say what each other was saying until the lady in charge stopped him.

"You are suppose to respond Mr. Potter by saying 'Here' or 'Present', not 'I didn't do it!' and Miss. Evans, young ladies do not use such harsh language."

"Sorry," they said together.

"Where's Sirius, please don't tell me he's going to pull a prank," asked Lily even more hateful of this stupid ball than ever before.

"Hey Padfoot get your arse in here, I think I see Snivillius!" and a second later Sirius was into the room with a devilish grin on his face.

"Hey Prongs I don't see him," said Sirius stupidly.

"That's because he isn't really here, you dolt. I had to get you in here somehow, didn't I."

"That's not very nice, you know how much I love to torture him," said Sirius pouting, "Oi! Lookie who we have here Prongsie, your girlfriend," yelled Sirius wrapping an arm around her.

"I'm no girlfriend of his!" she yelled throwing him off.

"Oho, James I think we're in trouble, look," Sirius said looking horrified.

"I agree completely."

The whole female population was drooling over them. There weren't many, but when these girls got into a boy crazy frenzy it was very hard to get out.

"Erm… Lily, could you help me out please, they really scare me, more than the girls at school," asked a pleading James.

"Nope, sorry, in the words of Sirius ' I want to see you wiggle your way out of this one'," replied Lily smiling.

"Sorry girls, but I'm already in love," Sirius sounded very scared.

"WHAT? YOU LOVE RIN!" yelled Lily.

"Yes," whimpered Sirius.

"Oh my god, she'll go through the roof when I tell her."

"You will not tell her, I will, when I'm ready. Got it."

"Fine."

"Settle down! Settle down! FREEZE!" shouted the host.

"Now, since you two obviously know each other, Mr. Potter, and Miss. Evans, you shall be each others escorts. Now can I please get on with the attendance, Scar-"

"No! I will not dace with him! I already had to dance with him, I'm not going to dance with him again!" interrupted Lily.

"Why not, Lily, _afraid_ of what might happen again?" asked James mockingly.

"_Shut up Potter_," Lily snarled. Everyone was silent, so silent that you could hear the snow falling outside.

"Why, afraid of falling in-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence."

"Love, and there I was thinking that Gryffindor's were suppose to be brave, guess I was wrong," James dared.

The next second Lily pounced on him and was trying to strangle him. Completely taken aback it took him a while too fully understand what she was doing. Sirius was immediately trying to pull Lily off him.

"Lily… let…go… calm… down…." Sirius was doing his best; Lily put up a good fight. Just as James's face was starting to turn purple she let go. No one had ever seen her get this angry with anyone.

"You have no idea what it's like to be me Potter, to face the world with only one friend who you can't even trust, and now they all know. At least you've got him,"-(Lily pointed to Sirius)- "I'm gone," Lily walked out the door without a backward glance.

"Prongs you really did it this time."

"I know Padfoot, I know."

"Miss. Phoenix, will you tell Miss. Evans that Mr. Potter is still her escort whether they want to or not. It is better for her to learn to get along with people she dislikes, and to get back in here so we may start or she will stay over time."

Scarlet walked out the door and found Lily sitting on the step without a cloak. "Hey," she said quietly, "are you all right?"

"No, why me, shoot me please, I'll even draw a X on my forehead," Lily asked very hopefully.

"No, and I know this sounds stupid but no one knows why you. Now c'mon Lily let's go back in otherwise you have to stay after longer."

"Do I have to?" Lily whined.

"Yes," Scarlet said, mimicking Lily's whining tone, "and you still have to dance with James because Mrs. Prissy in there reckons that it's better for people to do things with the people they hate."

"No, I already had to dance with him once and that turned out to be a complete disaster."

"How do you know this time it won't. Lily you have to take a chance in life once in a while."

"I know, but I don't want to take a chance. What? I'm coming, see I'm moving," said Lily standing up and walking through the doors.

"Yeah, in the wrong direction!" Scarlet pulled on Lily's arm and dragged her inside. "Uh… Lily, you should know that almost everyone is afraid of you now."

"Thanks. Hey, I'm sorry about what I said before, about not trusting anyone."

"It's okay, let's go back. Sirius is kind of cute isn't he?"

"Sorry, he's taken, my other friend at school is seeing him."

"Oh, that's too bad, well then, what do you think of Paul?" said Scarlet smiling.

"He's okay I guess."

"Hey everyone, I got miss fiery to come back, I wouldn't push her too hard James, this time you might end up dead," joked Scarlet.

While Lily was out Mrs. Prissy herself started paring the others up. "Okay everyone, remember, nice swift movement. I'm turning on the music."

Lily and James moved closer to each other, as the music started. James could hear Lily muttering under her breath, "I hate my life, I hate my life," continuously.

When James finally had enough of hearing Lily complaining he asked, "Why do you hate you life, it looks fine to me."

"Because Potter there's a lot you don't know about me yet, a lot no one knows about me."

"They why don't you tell somebody?"

"Because I can't trust anybody. What is this Twenty- one Questions?" asked Lily accusingly.

"What's Twenty-one Questions?" asked James bewildered.

"A muggle game."

"Oh."

"Why do you have to take this?" asked Lily she didn't look as angry as before, but still angry.

"Because my mum made me. Said I needed to learn how to act like a gentleman because I blew up my neighbor's soup in her face last summer. I tried to tell her it wasn't me it was Sirius but then she just signed up both of us because she said Sirius needed to learn too."

"Sirius doesn't look too happy either," Lily pointed out.

"Yeah well he's kind of afraid of what Catherine might do if she finds out he's been dancing with other women."

"She won't do anything, she'll be completely okay as long as he tells her that it meant nothing, and that your mum made him."

The rest of the lesson went smoothly, and Lily was relived when it was finally over. There had been one thing that kept nagging her. How were Sirius and James going to get home?

It was finally six 'o' clock, and everyone went out to their cars. Lily and Scarlet went to the pale green car with mud all over it.

"Lily don't those two boys live next door to you?" asked Scarlet's mother when they got in.

"Yes, unfortunately, why?"

"Because I don't see them getting into any cars, call them over, I'll give them a ride home," Scarlet's mother had always been a very helpful woman.

"Do we have to?" whined Lily.

"Do we have to what?" asked Scarlet, she had just gotten in.

"Do we have to drop those boys off home, since I don't see anyone coming to get them, and yes Lily, now call them over."

"Fine," said Lily huffily winding down the window, "Hey, Potter and Black hop in!" Lily yelled.

James pointed to himself, "Yes you, I don't know any other Potters. Now get in." James and Sirius walked over to the car and sat in it. "What were you planning to do stand out there and become icicles?"

"Ha ha, if you must know we were going to use fl- oh, cookies!" Sirius made a grab for the cookies.

"Hey Lily what station?" asked Miss Phoenix turning on the radio.

"Doesn't matter, pick any," replied Lily.

After she picked a radio station they were off. "Lily are you okay? You have sung along to any of you favorite songs," asked Scarlet's mother form the drivers seat.

"Yes, fine," it wasn't very crammed in the back seat, but Lily had squished herself all the way to the corner. James and Sirius were talking very fast and excitedly about something. From what Lily could hear it sounded like Quidditch.

"Hey mum can I go over Lily's tonight?"

"Sure, I don't see why not, if that's okay with her parents."

"There's a nine out of ten percent chance it will be a yes," said Lily taking to Scarlet in front of her, "At least there's someone there to save me from that retched sister of mine."

"You have a sister?"

"Yes Potter, I have a sister, and she the worst sister you could ask for. Thinks I'm a freak because I go to our school. Also because half the time I act like a boy."

"Oh, so that explains why you wear the boys uniform. Doesn't your mum yell at you for that?" asked Sirius.

"Yes well, you see I'm not as stupid as you. I bought three boys uniforms and one girl uniform that I change into when I have to show my parents. They never ask to see the others because they think that they're all the same. I would appreciate it if you didn't tell them about that too, because, quote ' A lady must always wear proper attire, such a skirts, and elegant dresses to all social gatherings, with the exception of playing or going out with friends' unquote."

"But wasn't this a social gathering?"

"Yes Sirius but I woke late and I had to change fast otherwise I'd be late. My parents didn't have enough time to lecture me on what to wear because I bolted right out. I'm probably going to pay when I get home, well at least from my mum, dad doesn't really care as long as I'm happy."

"Wow, that's complicated."

"I know. What do you want to do when you come over Scar?"

"I don't know, are you still set against makeovers?"

"Yes she is, Rin was trying to give her a make over and we could hear her screaming all the way from our dormitory," Sirius answered for her.

"Same old Lily," Scarlets mum said making a turn onto their street, "What time do you want Scar over Lily?"

"Doesn't matter, I'll ask them and then I'll call, 'kay?"

"'Kay, here's your stop boys and girl."

Everyone said their thanks and went to their own respectable houses. Lily went inside and yelled, "Mum, can Scarlet stay over tonight?"

"Yes!" her mother hollered back.

"Thanks!" she picked up the phone and called Scarlet. "Hello," could be heard on the other end of the line. "Hey, you can come over."

"That's great, what time?"

"Anytime."

"I'll be right over, just let me pack."

"'Kay, I'll get the room ready. 'Bye."

"See 'ya soon."

When they hung up Lily ran into her room and started to move around things so that there would be enough room for her and Scarlet.

She finished just in time, because the doorbell had rung only a minute after she decided that there was enough room there for two people.

"Hey you can put that stuff in my room."

"Thanks, guess what I rented, Enter the Dragon, you know with Bruce Lee in it."

"Cool, I've wanted to see that movie for ages."

"What's a movie?"

"Potter what the hell are you doing here?"

"You know Lil' I'm starting to see why you hate him so much," said Scarlet.

"I'm bored Lily, can I stay with you, and watch the movie?"

"Do you even know what a movie is?"

"No, but I want to know, please, please, please," begged James coming through the window, closely followed by Sirius.

"Get out, if my mum finds you in here I'm in so much trouble."

"Mum Lily has boys in her room!" came a voice from outside her door.

"Petunia! Damnit! Get out now!"

"Fine, fine, I'm going," said James climbing out of the window.

"Goodbye m'ladies," said Sirius following James out the window.

"Lily what is this I hear about boys in here? You know better than that, now where are they?" asked her mother coming into the room.

"I never had any boys in here, did you see any boys in here Scarlet?"

"Nope, none, well except for the boy on this movie case," joked Scarlet.

"Well, then carry on," and with that said she closed the door and waited until her mothers footsteps died away to bust out laughing.

After their laughter subsided and they started to go downstairs to put on the movie Scarlet asked, "So, Lily, what are you going to do once you graduate?"

"I don't really know, maybe become a teacher," she lied, in truth she wanted to become an Auror, but she couldn't tell her that, the Ministry of Magic would be on her like a rat that just found cheese for exposing their world to muggles.

"Oh, I think I might be a doctor, I don't know yet though, I can never decide."

The movie started to play just as Scarlet stopped talking. They watched in silence. By the time it was over it was stark black outside.

"So what should we do now?" Scarlet asked when they got into Lily's room.

"I don't know? Petunia stop being so nosy and leave!" yelled Lily noticing her sister in the corner. Petunia stomped away into her room. "God, sometimes I hate her, no correction, most of the time."

"How about we open this magazine and look at cute guys. Nah that's too shallow."

"What if- are our sleepovers always this boring?"

"I know! We could sneak into the boys room next door and prank them."

"Great idea Scarlet, then I can take a picture to embarrass them at school with," agreed Lily with a devilish smile crossing her face.

"What should we do?"

"Wrap them in seran warp, and put shaving cream on their heads, _and_ stick little gum drops all over them with honey."

"Sounds positively devious, but what are we going to leave behind?"

"A scarlet lily of course! What else."

"Yeah, but where are we going to get a _scarlet_ _lily?_"

"From the vase down in the foyer of course, I'll go and get it. You get the other stuff. I'll come back and set up the latter."

"Okie- dokie- pokie." Both Lily and Scarlet quietly walked down the stairs. Scarlet came back carrying everything she could, so Lily had to go back down and get the gumdrops.

"Okay, we got everything? Yes, let's go, shoot, I forgot the camera, be back in a second. Okay, let's go."

Scarlet threw the stuff out the window and climbed down, Lily came shortly after her. Then they moved it and scarlet picked up one item at a time and tossed it up to Lily at the top. When Lily caught it, she put it quietly on the floor, and climbed in. When there was nothing left to throw up Scarlet climbed the latter, and picked up the seran wrap and started wrapping one of the beds, making sure to leave some air pockets, Lily following her.

When they finished the stuck their hands through the air pockets and began to put shaving cream all over their faces, and bodies. They took the honey and sat on it for a while because the snow had made it cold and it would wake them up because of the difference in the temperature, and it was very hard for the honey to come out.

When they were convinced that the honey was a good temperature they started to fill in all the places they couldn't use the shaving cream on because they ran out. After that they started to strategically place gumdrops all over them to look like they were gingerbread men. When they finished the left a scarlet lily on the floor.

"That was so much fun, I can't wait until tomorrow morning," Lily said in ecstasy.

"That had to be the most fun I've ever had in my life," agreed Scarlet getting into bed, Lily also hoping into bed with a bounce.

"Yeah, but I'm defiantly gonna pay when I get back to school," Lily said to herself, "'night."

"'Night." Lily turned out the light, thoughts of the morning were racing through her head and she started to giggle. She could hear Scarlet giggling next to her, obviously they were thinking about their reactions to looking like gingerbread men. They stayed giggling until they laughed themselves to sleep.

"Lily Halley Evans, why the hell to we look like the friggin' gingerbread men!" yelled James the second he woke up, he yelled so loud the snow on the roof came down.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked sweetly coming over to the window.

"What do I mean? _What do I mean?_ We're covered in honey and shaving cream and gumdrops!"

"Yes, but you look so cute, don't they Lil?"

"Oh, yes very, very adorable," agreed Scarlet. They didn't do a very good job of keeping a straight face.

"We do not look adorable! We look like food!" yelled Sirius coming to the window trying to wipe the honey off his face.

"See, Lily why'd you have to go and make us prank you?"

"Sure like you could prank me without using _hem,_ _hem._"

"Yes we could, we aren't called the Marauder's for nothing."

"Could've fooled me, now, good day boys but I've got to be getting on, I'll be awaiting the er… prank, did you say," as Lily closed the window she started to giggle uncontrollably and high- fived Scarlet.

"That was great!" Lily said to Scarlet.

"I know!" Scarlet said back happily. "Let's go down for breakfast."

"Good morning girls, had fun?" was their greeting as they walked into the kitchen.

"More than fun daddy," was Lily's reply sitting down for breakfast. "Yay, Mrs. Evans, you made lumpy pancakes! I love them!" Scarlet yelled stuffing a pancake into her mouth.

"Your welcome honey. Lily today we have to go and pick up a dress for you to wear to the ball tomorrow."

"But mum," Lily whined, "why can't I just wear the dress that you sent me to wear to our Christmas ball?"

"Because people have already seen you wear that," was all she got as a reply.

"Only Potter and Black next door."

"Yes, Lily, but they're considered people."

"No, they're not people they're…," Lily considered calling them arses, but her mother would lecture on her language, and Lily really didn't feel like listening.

"Are you saying that they're ghosts? Because they don't look transparent to me. Now, you will come and we will find a dress and you can bring Scarlet along with you if you wish," he mother stated, she was always the strict one.

"Fine, Scarlet will you-"

"Yes, my mum still hasn't picked out a dress for me yet. I just have to go and change, and get some money. What time do I have to be back?"

"Around noon should be good," Mrs. Evans replied.

"Okay, see you then," Scarlet said getting up from the table and going to the door, Lily following.

"Scar, thanks for putting up with my family."

"No problem Lily, see you at noon," she said grabbing her jacket. Just as she took a step out the door a bucket of fish in smelly water came falling down, spilling on both of them. "Lily what's the matter? What happened?" Lily mother just came out from the kitchen.

"That's it! Potter you are dead!" Lily yelled stomping off to James's house.

"Lily, how nice to see you," James said once he answered the door.

"That really smells nice on you Lily dear, what is it that you're wearing?" asked Sirius coming to the door.

"Really Black, you think that the smell of rotting fish is delightful," Lily said almost yelling.

"Well only to us dogs it's delightful," He should not have said that because the next second he was kicked so hard in the shins that he had a huge black and blue bruise on his leg, and it started to swell.

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" yelled James.

"Watch it Potter, you're next," Lily said very threateningly.

"Or this," Lily said kicking him as hard as she kicked Sirius, "I hope that that will teach you not to play childish pranks on anyone anymore," Lily said and staled off. She knew it was hypocritical, but the smell of the fish was getting to her.

"I don't want to hear a lecture now mum, I'm going to my room for some solitary confinement," Lily stomped up the stairs and slammed her door.

By the time noon rolled around Lily went and took a shower which cooled her temper down. "Hey, Scarlet," Lily said unenthusiastically.

"Hey, ready to go shopping?"

"Yes, how ready can you get to go and do the most boring thing in the world."

"Shopping isn't boring," Scarlet said indignantly.

"Yes, c'mon let's go."

Lily spent the rest of the day shopping with her mother and Scarlet. She was so happy when her mother and Scarlet finally bought the dresses that she bounced all the way out the store and into the car.

"Lily I really think this white dress will look positively lovely on you."

"I think so too mum," Lily replied lazily getting into the car and turning on the radio. When they got back, Mrs. Evans dropped Scarlet off at her house and said, "Lily, I don't know when you became such a trouble maker but this needs to stop."

"I'm not a troublemaker, he deserved it."

"Whether he deserved it or not you should not have done that."

Lily couldn't think of anything to say, so she just got out of the car and headed for her room.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9, Winter Went Dancing

"But mum, I don't want to wear makeup. No correction, I _won't_ wear makeup," Lily stated firmly.

"I wouldn't make her Mrs. Evans, she had a very loud shouting match with her friend at school just before the other one we had," said a voice from outside her window.

"Potter, unless you want to get hurt even more I suggest you leave, it's bad enough you are my escort," Lily snapped.

"Close that window it's not polite to look at a lady while she's getting ready," Mrs. Evans said to James who shut his window, then turned to Lily, "Fine, then don't, but at least let me do something with your hair."

"Fine," Lily said huffily and sat down on the chair. Her mother broke her hair into to halves, a top and bottom, and braided the bottom half. She swung it around to make it look like a crown and put the top half into a bun covered by a white net.

"There, now get dressed we have to leave in an hour," she said walking out her doorway.

Lily sat on her bed and pulled out her book and started to read. "Aren't you supposed to be putting on your dress?"

"What are you, my stalker or something? Get lost, Potter."

"Fine, fine. Hey Padfoot, where are you?" Lily heard James yell as he closed the window.

After Lily wrote a letter to Catherine she was convinced that she had waited long enough and got into the bath. She took twenty minutes but came out smelling like a field of lilies. She put on her dress that was so long that Lily was sure she was going to trip over it, and high-heels that made and inch taller. Luckily they had a big heel, and not those skinny ones because she was definitely sure that her ankle would break.

On her way down the stairs she was holding on to the railing so tight that her knuckles became ghostly white. Just as she reached the landing the doorbell rang, "Scarlet!" she cried hugging her friend, "I have never been more happy to see you!"

"Having a bad time already I see."

"The worst, look at me," she said turning around very carefully so not to trip and tear her dress.

"You look beautiful, I don't see any problems," she said bewildered.

"That's the problem, _I_ _look_ _beautiful_."

"I don't see a problem with looking beautiful Lily dear, now c'mon we have to go to the car. Yes, Lily you can listen to the radio," Mrs. Evans said predicting what she was going to ask the second they got into the car, Mr. Evans coming behind her.

"Only perk to the entire night," Lily muttered to Scarlet who snickered in response. "By the way, I love your green dress, goes nice with your hair."

"Thanks."

Just as they were pulling out onto the pavement, Mrs. Evans stopped abruptly. She could hear the voices, but couldn't see their faces. "Thanks a lot Mrs. Evans," and the door opened.

Lily groaned loudly and put her head on the window and started to bang it against the ice-cold glass. "Lily stop hitting your head on the window, its not good," Lily mother told her, as James and Sirius came into the car.

"Scarlet shoot me please, pretty, pretty please with whatever you want on top," Lily begged.

"Sorry, I don't want to go to prison."

"You know I'm hurt." Stated James after sitting himself in the car, faking a hurt expression. "The least you could do for your escort is say hello without wanting to kill yourself."

"Shove it."

"Okay," Sirius shoved James, who shoved into Scarlet, who shoved into Lily making her hit her head on the glass.

"Ow, Sirius I didn't mean it literally!" Lily yelled rubbing her head where she hit the window. Mr. Evans was smiling looking through his rear view mirror.

They sat for a while in silence, until Lily started to sing along to the song that was playing on the radio. She nudged Scarlet to tell her to sing too. Scarlet hesitated then started singing, Lily and Scarlet both had huge smiles on their faces. James and Sirius, who hated to be left out, started singing along too.

When that song finished and another came on they all started to sing again. They kept on going until they reached the building. They all got out and thanked Mrs. Evans. Mr. and Mrs. Evans both wished their daughter good luck, as she tried to walk towards the building but was failing miserably.

Just as she was about to fall someone caught her by the arm and pulled her back up. "Thanks," she said without even looking up, "Not at all," was what she heard in response before he walked away. Lily could tell that it was a boy that had caught her.

When she found James standing in all the way in the back she started to go toward him. "Do me a favor, please, and I swear I won't hurt you unless you do something really, really stupid. Don't let me fall."

"Don't worry, I wont," James said slipping his arm under her arm and helping her walk.

"James, why are you so nice to me, even though I'm completely mean around you?" Lily asked, she couldn't help but ask, the words were just floating out of her.

"Because, I know that deep down you are nice. You just find it hard to overlook the flaws that I had in the past," James wasn't even thinking, it just came, as a matter of fact he had never thought about why he liked Lily even thought about why he liked her when she was so hateful to him.

"But you're still arrogant, and conceited, and-"

"I've got flaws, so who hasn't, but the big thing is that I'm not as conceited as I was when I was younger. That's your flaw, the inability to see the good in people, the inability to trust people," James said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Lily walked in silence, then started to say:

Winter went dancing

All over town

In her slippers

And snowball gown.

She danced on the rooftops

And waltzed with trees,

And gales of her laughter

Made rivers freeze.

This morning I looked

To see where she'd gone;

I found Winter's jewels

All over the lawn.

And there on my window

I found a small trace

Of Winter's most elegant frosted Lace.

"What?"

"A poem, by Jennifer Jesseph. I think of it every time I see snow, or think of snow. It's called Winter Went Dancing," Lily explained.

"All right, be quiet now you two," the woman with the graying hair said.

They all gathered on the edge of the dance floor. Families of every person were seated at round tables that could seat four people. "James where are your parents?" Lily whispered.

"They probably had a run in with the floo network, can't really floo in a muggle area, the Ministry doesn't like it," James whispered back.

"Welcome to the Lady's and Gentlemen's Ball!" said the announcer on the stage, "I have been informed that there is a birthday girl present at the party."

"No, no, this is not happening," Lily muttered turning her head behind James's back.

"Since it is a joyous occasion may we have the birthday girl and her escort please come up to the center and dance the first dance."

"C'mon James, let's get this over with, and please don't let me make a fool of myself," Lily begged, as they approached the center. As they moved closer together the music started.

"You never told me it was your birthday, why?"

"I hate my birthday James, every year my mum has to do something that involves me being the center of attention, and every year I tell her not too. I love my dad, he knows me, and my mum though has no idea. It's rather sad, and you know already that I argue with non- stop. She gets along with Petunia much better."

"How about this year, when we get back to Hogwarts I'll give you your perfect birthday party, sweet and simple."

"Really, you would do that for me, but…."

"Everyone deserves one birthday that they enjoy. No matter whom, well, maybe Snivillius. Is that a snicker I hear? Well, I thought I'd never see the day when Lily Evans laughs at James Potters jokes."

They danced for a while, through many songs, just staring into each other's eyes when Lily said, "I'm sorry James. I'm sorry for everything. All the years at school" -("Lily," James was trying to get her attention)-, the kick I gave you and Sirius yesterday"- ("Lily," James tried again)- "calling you all those bad things"- ("Lily," he said a little louder than the last two but still had no effect)- "the gingerbread man-"

James couldn't get Lily to stop talking so he just kissed her, but he was so surprised when she was kissing him back. "Sorry, I couldn't get you to stop talking my little red snowflake."

There was a very loud bang as a wall came tumbling down. People were screaming everywhere. This place that was once calm was now a zone of chaos. Lily's bright white dress was flecked with dirt and debris. An evil high cold laugh could be heard echoing throughout the hall. Darkly cloaked figures were coming out of the wall that had fallen and they were wearing masks.

People were yelling curses everywhere, there were some on the floor who looked like they had blacked out. Some hanging in mid air and still a loud high-pitched crackle could be heard over yelling.

"James did you bring your wand?" Lily asked nervously.

"Yes, did you?"

"No."

"_Accio_ _Wand_!" James yelled and Lily's wand came right into his hand. He tossed it to her.

"Voldemort show yourself, you coward!" Lily yelled, "Send your faithful Death Eaters to do your work, show yourself!" she wasn't really talking to someone just the air.

"How dare you call him a coward you silly little girl."

"Excuse me, little, this damn dress! _Diffindo!_" Lily's dress cut itself to a better length in which Lily could run in and cut the heel off her shoe so she could run without spraining her ankle.

"Now, now, Lucious, calm down. You dare call me a coward, girl," said an ice cold drawling voice.

"Yes Voldemort, a coward, you send your servants to do all the dirty work," Lily said glaring daggers.

"Well, it seems we have a brave little one here. Yes, you may prove useful if you join us, I shall spare your life if you do, of course.

"Of course I'll join," lily said simply, "WHEN YOU DIE AND GO TO HELL! YOU UGLY NASTY, FILTY, TOE RAG! OF COURSE I WON'T JOIN YOU, NEVER!"

"Tut, tut, Lily, you should learn to keep that temper of yours in check. Maybe your friend here will join me, the wiser decision."

"NEVER! I'D RATHER DIE FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE THAN GO WITH YOU. RIGHT PADFOOT!"

"DEFINATLY! PREPARE TO BATTLE US, 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING DOWN EASY!" Sirius said psyched pulling out his wand. He loved it when people were in danger.

"How about I give you a little taste of my power, _Crucio!_" Sirius dodged the attack, "Ha gotta do better than that Voldie!"

"_Accio_ _Potter!_" James flew into his hands and Voldemort had him in a strong bind, his wand was pointed at his temple.

"James, NO!"

"Ah, so the little mudblood loves Potter, what would happen if I were to say _Imperio!_"

James started to pick up his wand and pointed it at Lily. His eyes were unfocused. "James, don't do this, c'mon, I know you, don't. James it's me Lily, give me the wand," Lily said calmly ignoring the fact that she was trembling inside.

"Prongs, c'mon, give Lily the wand," Sirius was walking closer to James.

"Lily, help, it's hard," James whispered, for a second he was back, but then he had gone again.

"Prongs I'm very sorry for this but, _Stupefy!_" James was hit in the side by a flash of red light.

"Sirius you hold them off while I go wake James!" Lily yelled running for James. Once she reached him she pointed her wand at James's chest and muttered a spell. "You can still-"

"Yes, _Petrificus Totalus!_" The Death Eater that was standing behind Lily froze as stiff as a board.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"_Crucio!_" Sirius's screams could be heard from a mile away.

"Stop! Stop! Voldemort it's me you want, not them, they've done nothing. Leave them out!" Lily shouted. Almost all the muggles had been knocked unconscious, Scarlet and Paul were left with Lily's parents under the table that had been turned over, and were watching.

"The mudblood is being noble, doesn't want lives paid to keep her alive."

"Yes! It's me you want! _SCARLET NO!_"

Scarlet had just run out from the table and smashed right into Voldemort. "Lily do something, hit him, anything, now!" she heard Scarlet yell.

"_Diffindo! Stupefy! Impedimenta!_" Lily shouted, all he curses were blocked as the Death Eaters came closer and closer. One had shot a green light directly at Scarlet and she fell with a thump on the floor.

"_SCARLET NO!_" Lily outraged, shooting every curse she knew at them. James and Sirius talking very fast in low voices, then James turned to Lily and said in a hushed voice, "On the count of three Lily I want you to charm that table over there so that it sounds like Dumbledore. The second he leaves we can go revive all the muggles.

"How d'you know he'll leave?" Lily whispered back.

"We know, trust us," James said.

"THREE!" Sirius yelled.

Lily performed the spell and James had transfigured it to look like Dumbledore. "Hello Tom," it said with a deathly glare.

"Dumbledore! _Advada Kedavra!_" A get of green light shot out of his wand and was headed straight for Dumbledore. Just as it was about to collide with him something swooped down and swallowed it, then burst into flames.

"I will be back Dumbledore, you haven't won!" and with that said, the snow came around him and when it had gone, he was no where in sight.

"Yes, great transfiguration Prongs," Sirius praised him," You too Lily, sounds exactly like him."

"Er… Sirius, I think that's the real Dumbledore."

"What would make you think that Lily."

"Because his phoenix just swallowed the curse."

"Oh."

"Very good Miss. Evans," Dumbledore said walking closer to them. "Can you tell me what happened just now?"

"Voldemort came and started to attack innocent muggles, then we tried to fight him, and we thought that if we could get something that looked like you to come, he might leave, and Lily said something about him wanting her not the others. Then you came and he went," explained James really fast.

"Ah, makes perfect sense."

"You can come out now!" Lily yelled into the air, they all waited until everyone was out.

"Mum! Dad! Are you okay?" Lily asked running to her parents.

"Perfectly fine, you were _so_ brave," Lily's father said hugging her.

"Yes, very brave indeed," her mother agreed.

"Sir, why did Voldemort want Lily?" asked Sirius.

"Miss. Evans, would you like to tell them why?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, it's complicated you see. I guess I should start with my eyes, seeing as how they're green," she started turning around to face them. "Green is a common color, I know, but, er, let me start over. There is a torch that people haven't seen in years and are starting to think it doesn't exist. It emits not red or blue or yellow flames, but green. The only people who were known to work it properly were those who had green eyes, though all who had green eyes couldn't work it, there was something else that showed they could," Lily started to roll up her left sleeve to her dress, showing a green line, "this."

"But what does the torch do?" asked James.

"The Green Flame Torch, puts a stopper to all things evil and replaces it with good things. For example, hate is replaced with love, and cold is replaced with warmth. This green line appeared the second I found out that I was a witch, but I told no one, and because I can control it, he's afraid that I will over throw him."

"How do you know all of this?" James asked amazed.

"Professor Dumbledore told me when I was in fifth year, and he warned me something like this would happen," Lily finished looking around the room. "I can't believe he did this, Scarlet," Lily whispered walking to her.

"And this won't be the last time either, he's bound to come back," replied Dumbledore, "Aw, there's my little Fawkes." He bent down and scooped up his pet phoenix from the pile of ashes.

"Miss. Evans, I shall see you at school, I must go and inform the Order about this, good day."

"I'll go call the police, just a precaution if no one heard anything, which I doubt," Mrs. Evans walked outside. Her once black dress was now covered in dirt.

"I can't believe this, I'm going to kill him if it's the last thing I do!" she yelled balling up her fists, "and when I was wearing this stupid dress and stupid shoes."

"Calm down honey, it'll be all right, shh," Mr. Evans tried to calm his daughter down. Lily looked like she would cry any minute, but James knew Lily and she never cried in all the years he that ever knew her.

"I'm sorry Scarlet," she whispered.

"It'll be okay," James walked up to her.

"No it wont, there's no way I'll see her again James, she's not a witch she can't turn into a ghost."

"You'll see her when you die," Sirius replied quietly.

"I guess."

"The police are coming, we can go when they come," said Mrs. Evans walking through the door.

"Paul, are you okay, you haven't moved in a long time. Paul, _Paul?_"

He just stood there, almost lifeless, staring into space. James and Sirius were trying to see if they could revive any people. "Try the waking up spell, maybe that'll do it."

"Yeah, _ennerverate!_" Paul jumped with a start, "What just happened?"

"Should I perform the memory charm on the people?"

"Yes, I reckon Dumbledore would like that," answered Sirius.

Lily went around to everyone that was awake and performed the charm. By the time they finished the police had come. Lily was so thankful that she could go home.

"That had to be the most exciting thing too bad I'm going to get into trouble with the Ministry for using magic," she said quietly, she was so tired from the day that she could barely talk.

"They'll let you off the hook. They have to because your life was at risk." Lily didn't hear anything of what James just said because she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder. When they got home Mr. Evans picked up his daughter and put her into her bed. James and Sirius walked back to their houses dragging their feet, half asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10, The Funeral

"I'm so bloody tired I feel like I could sleep forever, what time is it?" Lily grumbled checking her clock that read 12:30 in bright red, then toppled over again letting last night's events float in her mind. She fell back asleep and didn't wake up until she was bouncing up and down on her bed.

"Petunia go away, I'm really tired," but Petunia continued to bounce. "Mom, Petunia is annoying me!" Lily shouted.

"Petunia, leave Lily alone! She went through a lot last night!" Mrs. Evans shouted back, Petunia jumped off the bed and walked out of the room scowling.

"The great blonde bucktoothed bimbo," Lily murmured under her breath turning over.

Lily couldn't get to sleep after that, she kept on turning and tossing, and every time she failed to sleep. She decided to go downstairs and get something to eat.

"Our little hero has shown herself at last," her father joked as she walked into the room. Lily gave a faint smile in return. "Are you up to going out tonight, you know to a restaurant to celebrate last night? You can wear pants too," her mother said, a smile playing on her lips.

"Okay."

"Good I'll go ask the Potters," her mother said running off to the nearest phone.

"Daddy, why are we going out to celebrate, what did Lily do?" asked Petunia from the corner of the couch.

"She saved many lives last night, while risking her own," her father said to Petunia.

"I didn't save Scarlet's," Lily said glumly peeling a clemintine.

"Yes, but she's in a better place now, is she not?" her father said, "That reminds me, Scarlet's mother said she wanted you to give the eulogy at her funeral, it's three days before you leave."

"Okay."

"The Potters are coming to our house at seven, seeing as how they can't get hold of a car. It's five now, c'mon everyone, upstairs," Mrs. Evans said pushing the girls up the staircase.

When Lily was sure her mother was in Petunia's room, she crept downstairs and started to watch the television. When she heard the doorbell ring she ran to answer it. The Potters were all standing there smiling, "Er… hi, I'm Lily Evans, come in," she was blushing a bit because she hadn't bothered to brush her hair and she was still in her pajamas. "I'll go and fetch my mum, make yourselves comfy," when she finished she ran up the stairs and threw on a pair of black pants and a white shirt. She combed her hair and came down in five minutes, still putting her hair into a pony on her way down.

"I don't think I ever met a girl who could get ready to go out in five minutes, and still look stunning."

"Well I don't know about the stunning part, I've always been a fast dresser, I can't help it," Lily clapped her hand to her head, "I've forgotten, Mum the Potter's are here!" Lily shouted.

"Lily how many times do I have to tell you, you do not yell, you come and get. Hello, I'm Violet Evans," she informed the Potters, "and this is my husband Steve, Steve," she couldn't spot her husband anywhere.

"Someone call," Lily father said coming into the room.

"Steve, where were you, the Potter's are here."

"Ah, then I assume you already met my daughter Lily, and this is Petunia," he said pointing to a blonde, bucktoothed girl.

"Pleasure," Mrs. Potter said holding out her hand. Lily and Petunia took it. Lily saw that her eyes were hazel as she shook her hand, and Mr. Potter looked exactly like James, but his eyes were blue.

"This is my son James Potter, I'm William, and my wife Pattiecha, and James's friend Sirius Black," Mr. Potter introduced.

"Lily I didn't know you lived next door!" James exclaimed running to her, Lily side stepped.

"What d'you mean, you continuously annoy me from your window, not to mention a few days ago when I kicked both you and Sirius in the shins," Lily gave a little snicker.

"Hey, wait mum how're we going to get there, I mean there are eight people to transport in one car?" asked Petunia.

"Mrs. Potter is going to charm the car to fit more people in it dear," her mother answered kindly.

"Shall we go?" asked Mr. Evans walking toward the door.

After Mrs. Potter charmed the car they all got in. There was so much room that you could fit at least five other people to the eight that they had. "Would you like the radio on, or-"

"Turn it on mum, it'll be better." Lily said from the back seat. Halfway through the first song something clicked in her mind. When it finished she asked, "Mum, do you have a piece of paper and a pen?"

"Yes, Lily, what for?" said her mother passing back the paper. Lily was the only one in the very back row. She started to scribble something really fast.

"The thingy- and the thingy- with the thingy," was her reply from her daughter.

"What?"

"The eulogy thingy magigy."

When they got there, Lily put down the paper and pen and got out. "Look it's snowing! You know I've never seen it snow so much in one Christmas season," Lily exclaimed dancing around in circles, with her face toward the sky.

"C'mon Lily let's get inside." Her mother said; Lily obeyed, but her face never left the sky until they were inside.

"Don't you just love the snow?" Lily asked dreamily. "It makes everything so clean and innocent, and pretty."

"Like you," James said to her getting a glare in return.

"Just because you kissed me last night, or the other time before, doesn't mean I can't ignore it," she said and followed the girl, who was showing them to their table. Once they sat the waitress handed out the menus and told them that her name was Valerie and she would be back soon to get their orders.

As soon as she left she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, and what she saw made her scream. "Smurf!" she yelled and jumped form her chair and gave him a big hug. "I haven't seen you for ages, where did you go?" Lily asked realizing him from the hug.

"Er… Smurf?" asked Sirius from across the table.

"He was a really small kid who always wore blue," she said quickly, "So, where have you been?"

"We moved to America when you left for your school. Do you know how big that place is?" he explained with an American and British accent slurred together.

"Forget about how big it is, look at how big you are. Never thought such a tiny kid could become so big, and look you're not wearing blue," Lily's father joked. Everyone gave a small chuckle.

"Who's everyone else?"

"Oh, right sorry _Stuart_," Lily apologized.

"I think I like Smurf a lot better."

"Okay, sorry Smurf, this is my mum and dad, Petunia is the same old same person, you'll see her when she gets back from the bathroom. This is Mr. and Mrs. Potter, our neighbors and James, their son, and that's Sirius Black his friend."

"So what brings you to come here, I mean the only time the Evan's ever come here is to celebrate something, unless. Are you engaged to Sirius, Tree?" Smuf asked Lily accusingly.

"Tree?" James asked at the mention of a funny nickname.

"Yeah, green eyes, trees are green," he told James.

"Oh."

"No we're not going to get married, but James wishes. Ow, what was that for?" Sirius asked after James stepped on his foot very hard. Everyone was smiling very widely. "Well, it's true he does."

"Padfoot don't make me hex you," James muttered threateningly into his ear.

"Fine, fine, besides my feet still hurt from last time. You know you should be and Auror."

"Sirius stop talking," Mrs. Potter said from Sirius's other side.

"Oh, right, sorry."

"Okay…. So Lily got any boyfriends yet?"

"Nope, never have and never will."

"Why?"

"I've got my reasons, what about you?"

"Yeah, her names Ellie, but she lives in the states."

"That's good. Why are you two so quiet? Usually you're bouncing with energy."

"What do you want us to say hello how are what's- Hey lookie Petunia's back!" yelled Sirius at the top of his lungs.

"Padfoot don't shout now everyone's looking at us, and I'm particularly hungry since you didn't bring back food for me when you went for a snack five minutes before we left."

"Sorry but I didn't know that you wanted food."

"How could you not know, Mums been starving us, and what's so funny?" James just noticed that Lily and Smurf were snickering.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Why do you call each other Prongs and Padfoot, and don't you call Remus Moony, and what's his names- Peter- Wormtail," Lily asked.

"Well, we…uh…we…."

"Can I take your orders now?" The waitress saved James and Sirius from having to say anything.

"Well, I'll be going see you around Tree," Smuf said getting up from the chair and put it back at the table that he got it from. Everyone ordered, but the Potters had a hard time, because they kept shouting at their menus, like they were expecting to see food appear magically on the table.

After a few more laughs and arguments between James, Lily and Sirius their food came, and everyone dug in. When Lily finished a man who was about her age tapped her on the shoulder and asked "Would you like to dance?"

"Sorry, I don't dance," was the reply he got, so he turned around looking very downcast.

"Why didn't you dace with him? He looked awful sweet," her mother asked.

"That's because-" James started but remembered what happened last time he answered that question for her.

"Potter, do you remember what happened last time you answered that question?" Lily asked threateningly. James nodded in response.

"Then I would suggest that you don't again this time or I will do what I did to you last time, with one exception. This time I will wait until you die completely."

James gulped and Sirius was sitting next to him smiling, whenever they fought it was very entertaining to him.

"You know Lily, I've never been able to get James to behave," said Mrs. Potter.

"Oh, it's simple, you just need to show him just how much damage you can do to him. Like the other day he put a bucket of dead fish above the door so that when you opened it, it falls on you. I went over and kicked the both of them in the shins so I don't think anyone will be seeing dead fish above the door for a long time." Lily was grinning very widely as she explained.

"Why is your sister so quiet?" Sirius asked.

"She hates me, one, and two, she's afraid of me," answered Lily.

"Why is she afraid of you?"

"Because I'm a witch."

"She's sixteen though, and she's still afraid?"

"Yep, but it's better that way, I mean at least she isn't annoying or very talkative around me. Actually she loves to talk, and gossip, that's all she ever does when I'm, not around."

"Well, let's get going. It's Christmas tomorrow, you're going to want to be up early, right girls." They all walked out to the car. Lily's mother turned on the radio, and Lily started to bite her lip. He favorite song was on and she had no control to stop herself from singing. She sung so quietly that only James could hear her, but only just.

"Thank you for the wonderful night Violet, we'll see you later," Mr. Potter said getting out of the car once they reached the houses.

"Night Lily," James and Sirius said together getting out of the car.

"Night."

Once they all got out of the car Mrs. Potter put the car back to its regular size. Lily crawled into bed, and then someone threw something at her window. She got up, a little mad because she was tired and opened it, only to be greeted by James's face. "You have a nice voice," he said kindly.

"I was just about to go to sleep, couldn't you wait until morning to give me that compliment?" Lily said on the verge of shouting, when she heard a jingle of sleigh bells and a jolly laugh. "What was that?"

"That my dear Lily was Santa, or as I like to call him, Jolly ol' Saint Nick."

"He exists?" she said disbelivingly, "How come I never heard him come by before?" she asked turning to stare up at the stars.

"Ah, he comes to those who he feels needs to believe a little more in fantasy, and who are a little depressed during Christmas."

"How do you know that?" she asked turning to look at him.

"I know what I know," he said earning himself a puzzling look from her, " I asked my mum and dad," he said like it was obvious.

"Ohhh… okay….Night." Lily closed the window and getting into bed. She could hardly believe that Santa came to her house.

"Thanks mum and dad, this is great!" Lily said excitedly when she saw her parents gave her a video camera, "I'll charm it the second I get back to school so that it'll work there too! Here I got you something," she handed them a package wrapped in brown paper.

"Oh, Lily this is wonderful!" her mother couldn't hold her excitement in when she saw that Lily gave them a blanket that changed from a violet, to a lily, and then to a petunia. "Here, Petunia, I got you one to, 'cept the background is changeable for what ever mood your in." Lily handed the package to her sister who looked a little sad that her parents were more impressed with her sister, than hers.

"Here," she said sadly handing Lily a present. When Lily opened it, she saw two things, a picture frame, and a silver necklace with little lilies around it.

"Petunia, this is beautiful, thank you." Lily was completely awed; Petunia usually never gave her anything for Christmas.

"Well, c'mon, breakfast," Lily's dad said stretching.

"Wait, dear, there's still once more present. Now who could this be from, it's addressed to Lily," she handed her the package, Lily was burning up inside so fast she thought she was going ten degrees higher with every second.

"Who's it from?" her father asked. She opened the card, but all that was inside it was:

I hope you like.

Lily opened it and found another picture frame, but there was a picture in it moving. It was a picture of James and Sirius shouting at the girls, looking like gingerbread men. Lily smiled. "I know just who this is from."

"Who?"

"Who do you think can make a moving picture but a wizard, James. What's this?" something was shining on the ground because of the way the sunlight hit it.

"Wow," was all Lily could say when she saw the locket. It was shaped like a circle, and had a bight green lily in the center.

"Open it, see if there's anything inside," her mother urged. Lily obeyed, and found James and her dancing around in Hogwarts' Great Hall. The picture was moving, and it went from them dancing to them kissing under the mistletoe. Lily looked on the other side and found, in the same tiny writing as was on the card before:

Do you like? Look on the back.

Lily closed the locket, and tuned it over to the back. There was a line from the book _Princess in Love_:

'It doesn't _matter. _What matters is that I meant what I wrote. And I thought you did, too.'

'Of course I meant it.'

'Then why did you freak out like that today at the Carnival?'

'Well, because… because…I thought…I thought you were making fun of me.'

'Never'

The words were playing over and over again, like a little screen was projecting them. Lily put it on, and tucked it under her shirt, smiling she got up for breakfast.

"Lily, did you make those poor boys look like gingerbread men?" her father asked smiling when he saw the picture moving.

"Yes, a while ago. It was fun, you should do that to dad sometime mum," Lily was smiling so wide her mouth was hurting.

"We'll see." She started handing out pancakes to everyone. Lily noticed that she made a little of everyone's favorites, chocolate chip for Lily, blueberry for Petunia, raspberry for her father, and peach for herself.

After everyone ate Lily had to go straight to her room and finish the eulogy for tomorrow. Lily could hardly concentrate, she wanted to scream or do something just to get the anger and the sadness out. She couldn't though, because she never cried, _Lily Evans does not cry, ever_ she kept thinking trying to push the pain away.

She went to her window and opened it then stuck her head out. She felt like she was suffocating. "Where's my CD's, I need to listen to something loud."

She was rummaging around until she found her Evanescence CD. She raised the volume so that she couldn't hear her mother yelling at her to lower it. She sat down on her bed and started to write, stopping here and there to shout out the lyrics to the song. When it was finished, she went downstairs to get something to eat.

"Why do people keep eating out my Clemintines?" Lily yelled taking an orange, which in her opinion, tasted funny and walked back up the stairs to her room.

"Mum are we going anywhere today?" Lily shouted, she didn't know if her mother was upstairs or downstairs so she just shouted.

"Yes," was her answer.

"Where?"

"To the mall to get you something to wear to the funeral tomorrow."

"Okay," she shouted, but when the door closed she walked to her window and saw that the latter wasn't propped up by her window.

"Great, looks like taking a walk is out-a the picture," she said glumly.

The day wasn't eventful, she went out, and bought a black turtleneck shirt, to go with the black pants she already had.

The next day Lily changed so slowly, she could barely get the comb through her hair without it taking two minutes. She made sure that her locket was swung around so that the locket side was on her back, she hadn't taken it off since.

Lily kept throwing things at James's window until he answered.

"What?"

"Do you have a duplicate of the gingerbread men pictures?"

"Yes."

"Can I have it?"

"Yes."

"Why are you all dressed up, and in _suites_?" she asked James, who was handing her the picture, she couldn't reach it though.

"We're going to the funeral too," he was reaching more out the window.

"Urgh, don't go anywhere, I'll be back in a three seconds," Lily went in her room and looked for something, "found it! You can't hide from me Clarence, oh no you can't."

"Clarence?"

"I have a pair of tongs in my room that I have to use sometimes to get things," explained Lily reaching out the window and grabbing the picture.

"Thanks," She said taking the picture. "Er… James, thanks for the locket," Lily said then shut the window quickly.

When she went downstairs, she saw her family waiting downstairs for her. "Wow, this has to be a first, you're all waiting for me," Lily joked.

"Ready?" her father asked as she was getting in the car.

"How ready can you get when you're going to a friends funeral?" was Lily 's reply closing the door.

When they got there Lily saw a lot of her old classmates, and some people who she guessed were Scarlet's family. She was handed a paper of what event was to take place at a specific time and place. She saw that she was scheduled to come up and speak at 9 o'clock, only fifteen minutes until she had to go up.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned around she saw a sooty James grinning back at her.

"You- why are you covered in soot? You didn't-"

"No I didn't travel by floo powder, Sirius pushed me into the fire place, are you feeling okay, you look like you're going to faint."

"Yes, yes, where is he?" Lily asked standing on her toes looking for Sirius.

"Food, need I say more?"

"Nope, well I'm on, Hasta leugo,"

"Huh?"

"Spanish for 'see you later'," Lily smiled, as she walked onto the platform.

"Why do you all look sad?" Lily started many heads looked up to reveal tear stained faces. "Scarlet is looking down upon us and wondering 'why are all these people sad, don't they realize I'm in a better place.' She may have died young, but with every life that is taken from this world, a new life is brought. Sure she left at the age of seventeen, but her sprit is still living on inside of you, every single one.

"Scarlet died a very brave woman, risking her life to save mine. She was my best friend and I promise to her that I will avenge her killer if it's the last thing I do, but for now let us not cry, let us remember the funny times, and memories of her. After all, isn't that the point of a memorial service, to _remember_, like the a few days ago we make two boys look like human gingerbread men-"

"Yeah took us forever to get the gum drops and shaving cream out of our hair, and the honey made everything worse!" Sirius shouted making some people smile.

"Yes, thank you, thank you," Lily said taking a bow, and walking off the stage.

"Great speech, very nice, literature has always been your strong point," her father congratulated her.

"Yes, jolly good speech, said so much!" James said, "thanks for mentioning us."

"I have to go do something, I'll be right back, 'k," Lily walked back to the casket, and took out the picture she got from James earlier this morning, and placed it in her cold hand. "Goodbye, we'll all miss you," she whispered, then turned and walked out the door. She could feel the tears burning to come out, but pinched her nose, and closed her eyes. Lily found that in if you pinch your nose it makes it harder for the tears to come out. She counted to ten before she opened them.

"Why did you pinch your nose and close your eyes?" James asked walking up to her.

"It helps when you don't want to cry, I don't know why, but it works," explained Lily.

The car ride home was silent, as a matter of fact the rest of the day was silent. Lily pulled out pictures of Scarlet and herself the entire day, smiling at the memories. When Lily left her room she took her cloak and went into the backyard, up to the fence that separated her and Scarlet as children.

"Which one was it again?" Lily asked herself pushing on the fence boards, until one finally opened. The space was just big enough to fit Lily in, as she slid through. She walked to the middle of the yard and sat down, the ground was hard, and as cold as ice, but she sat there all the same. She didn't how long she sat there starring in to space, until someone said," Are you planning to stay out here and freeze yourself to death, because you've been out here for ten minutes already."

Lily just stared, hardly noting that James was talking to her.

"Why don't you come in and-"

"See the bird bath over there James, we would play hide- and- go- seek, and she used to hide behind it and snicker because she thought that I couldn't see her, though I could, I just pretend like I couldn't."

Lily voice sounded like she could crack any moment. "See that corner, the left one, I hit my head there when I was five because I slipped on the mud. Scarlet went and called her mum, and I was out cold for two days. I remember what I was thinking. What if I never see Scarlet again? What if I never got to play all the games we used to play? What if…. There were so many what if's that if I were to tell you all, it would have taken the rest of the day."

Lily had never moved her head, nor her eyes, she was just staring, talking, and barley feeling the pain the cold was giving her. "I miss her, I wish that he never… that I never…this funeral today was the closure to everything I feared in that coma, everything."

James was starting to get a little scared, Lily was ghostly pale, and she started to stand and walk toward the fence, "See this board James, it's lose we would sneak into each others yard. The day before I had to leave for Hogwarts, we promised each other that we would always be best friends and never die without the other, like blood sisters. She's dead, the only one that kept most of my sanity in check, and now she's gone. If my family go to, no one is going to be able to keep me sane for long, not even Rin." Lily walked to the rose bush in the right corner of the fence, and picked a rose, then walked to the left corner, and placed it down in the very spot where she hit her head, "good- bye, I'll never forget you."

James was too shocked to say anything; he just stood there dumbfounded. Lily walked back to the gate, as if she was just talking to herself, and slid back through the gate. James stood there for about five minutes, before he went back inside to absorb what she has said, she was going to go insane if her family was gone. It was her way to grieve.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11, Going Back

Lily was pacing beside the train waiting for Catherine. Her luggage was packed, but there was only five minutes until the train would leave and she still wasn't there. Lily started to think her what if's again. _What if what happened to Scarlet, happens to her? What if she got lost? What if the barrier had closed and not allowed her through? _

Lily jumped when she heard the whistle blow, "Poop," she ran to the closest door and jumped on the train. "Maybe she's already in the compartment," Lily told herself walking to the last compartment.

"Lily I've been waiting for forever! Where've you been?" Catherine exclaimed jumping up to hug her.

"Waiting outside for you! I never saw you come on! How was your holiday?"

"Oh splendid, just marvelous, especially with Jacob, I mean how many times can you say 'my feet are so smelly and no one will take me to the bloody doctor.' I barely survived it. You?"

"My mum set me up to go to this 'Lady and Gentlemen Ball', they're supposed to teach you how to be a proper lady and gentleman. Potter's my new neighbor as I told you, and he was my escort, and I nearly killed him. You know, maybe I should've, anyway, the night before the ball we, me and Scarlet, pranked him and Sirius, made them look like gingerbread men. That had to be the most fun- anyway, my mum made me wear this white flowing dress with high heels, and Voldemort attacked, and Scarlet is dead, and yeah…."

"Wow, are you okay, what happened, what did he want?"

"I'm fine, he did the Imperious curse on James, and he wanted me either to join him or to die because I can control the Green Flame Torch," Lily said all this in one breath.

"Oh, my God, but, but that's supposed to be legendary."

"Oh. It's real all right, but no one knows where to find it."

"So, let's prank Narcissa. Maybe it will cheer you up."

"Yeah, what should we do?"

"I've the perfect idea," Catherine flicked her wand like she did before, and a scream could be heard throughout the train. Narcissa came blazing through the door, her hair on fire, and her skin was a very bad shade of turquoise and red.

"What ever brings you into our compartment Narcy?" Catherine asked sweetly.

"You know perfectly well why I am in here, to blast you into Timbuktu!" she yelled.

"Why would you ever want to do that?"

"Because Evans, my hair is on fire and my skin looks like I'm growing something illegal on it. That's why," she said back so sweetly that it was almost sickening.

"It's really starting to get warm in here, isn't it Rin?"

"Oh yes, too hot, could you please leave I really don't want to open a window."

"Thanks Narcy, love you ever so much, and here one last prank for Scarlet," Lily handed her a scarlet lily and then a bucket of water came down on top of Narcissa. They shut the door just in time, because the next minute she was raging at the door. Kicking and stomping, and screaming, while Lily and Catherine were on the floor in laughter. After a few more minutes of trying to get in she left.

"Geeze, couldn't she think to use the Alohomora Spell, how stupid could you get," Catherine said taking deep breaths as she went to sit on the seat.

"I know really," Lily didn't make any movement to sit on the seat, she just sat there.

"Lily, why aren't you sitting on the seat?"

"Because I like the floor," she stated simply.

"Okay, then I'll join. Oof," She just jumped down and landed on her butt harder than she planned.

"Hey, can we sit here? People are in every compartment and- why are you on the floor?" Remus asked walking in, James, Peter, and Sirius following.

"Yes, because, and Rin I thought you locked the door."

"I thought you did."

"That means she was-" they burst out laughing, "how thick is she?" Lily said through laughs.

"Not much thicker than that," Rin replied.

"Who thick, and what's funny?" Peter asked.

"You know Narcissa, well, I put her hair on fire, and she came blazing through, literally, and we pushed her out and then shut the door and she was attempting to break it down. Only Lily here didn't lock it when she ran in and she was banging on an unlocked door," Rin explained.

They all just smiled, the girls were shaking with laughter.

"So everyone had a good holiday?" Remus asked.

"Okay," Catherine replied, "if you like to listen to your cousin complain about his smelly feet."

"Yeah, my aunt Cleo complains about her three feet, and how she can't walk properly," Remus told her.

"I'm not the only one with an abnormal family!"

"Everyone's family is abnormal, look at Petunia, all though she did give me this wonderful picture frame, with lily's and violet's, and petunia's on it. Mum probably made her," Lily said.

"I had fun," Sirius said, Lily looked at him like he was an alien.

"What, how was it fun, Voldemort attacked us, and killed my best friend!" Lily raged at him.

"The danger, the excitement, the drama, James under that curse," Sirius said putting a hand to his head.

"He has a point, all that excitement, the adrenaline rush, and I actually liked being a gingerbread man. The gumdrops were good," James said.

"Yeah well, it wasn't that fun for me, I don't like to be attacked when my mum makes me wear that dress-"

"But you looked so pretty," James interrupted.

"And high heels, and when your best friend is killed by the Death Eater that I will hunt down and put into Azkaban."

"Lily calm down, you have the rest of your life to find him or her or whatever killed her. Just enjoy Hogwarts while it's still there," James was trying to calm Lily down.

"Right, right."

"Okay, is it safe again?" Remus joked.

"Yes, just lost it for a minute there," Lily smiled, " Okay, my butt is no officially hurting, someone budge up," Lily stood up and took the closest seat, in-between Remus and Catherine.

"Anything off the trolley? Oh, here you are," an expression dawning on her face when she saw the Marderers, "I'll come back later with the other trolly," she pushed the trolley in, and left in a hurry.

"Why-oh" Catherine had just noticed the boys attack the trolley. "Geeze, who ever they marry, I feel very sorry for."

"Er… can I have one of-" Lily began to ask, she was afraid they might eat her hand.

"Lily just reach and grab one package," Catherine said to her.

"Easier said than done, I mean look at them, they could eat my hand in one bite," she said reaching in and grabbing the closest thing. "Yes! Berttie Botts!"

"Thanks, yummy, chocolate," Catherine just ate one.

"Pepper, ah, it's okay," Lily shrugged.

"How can you like pepper?" Catherine asked amazed.

"I don't know, I just do. Grass, and I'm not even going to try this one, James, would you like a Berttie Bott?" Lily asked sweetly, James held out his hand. "Here you go," Lily put it in his palm and he shoved it in his mouth.

"Lily, what did you give me," James asked looking sick.

"A vomit flavored Berttie Bott," she replied simply.

"Lily, now I've lost my appetite, and my breath smells like- oh great, I'm going to puke," James covered his mouth and ran to the lavatory.

James came back a couple of minutes later, "Sirius hand me my toothbrush."

"Sorry, Prongs but I don't know where your trunk is ask the girls."

"Can I borrow your toothbrush Lily," James looked really pale.

"Yes, I've got others. Here," she handed him a blue and white stripped toothbrush.

"Nice colors."

"Do you want the toothbrush or not?"

"Yes."

"Then don't mock John!"

"Hey John, we're going to see your cousin Lou, that'll be fun wont it," James said walking out the door talking to the toothbrush.

"You know what since you're so attracted to John, you can keep him!" Lily shouted after James.

"Hey John you hear that, we're going to be buddies for a while," he turned the corner and disappeared into the lavatory. While he brushed his teeth, Lucious Malfoy came in, "Nice, sparkly toothbrush you have there," he drawled.

"Don't mock John!" he said spitting out the toothpaste that was so thick in his mouth that he could hardly breath.

"You named your toothbrush! Oh this is priceless!"

"Actually it isn't mine, it's- "

"James, hurry up, I just ate one that tasted like dung, and I can't find Betty, or Mark, or Clarence!" Lily yelled banging on the door.

"You're sharing your toothbrush with that mudblood!"

"Don't call her a mudblood!"

"James, I'm giving you until the count of ten, before I come in and take it! One… two…"

"I'll call whoever I want a mudblood Potter," he sneered.

"Six… seven… eight…"

"Shut it Malfoy, or I'll hex you, and you know I know some good ones."

"Ten!" the door came bursting open, "Thank you, God, do you know what dung tastes like?" Lily grabbed the brush and started to brush her teeth vigorously.

"Can't be worse than vomit!"

"Oh, yes it can! Plus it's not healthy to eat dung," her voice was muffled, but he could still hear her. "Hello Lucious."

"Hello mudblood."

"Nice to see you haven't changed," Lily mouth was starting to hurt. "James, give me it back!"

"I didn't finish!" he started to brush his teeth.

"I don't care, it's mine!"

Lucious stood there watching them fight over the toothbrush named John.

"Fine, but hurry, I might puke again, not to mention you shouldn't be in here!"

"I will take as long as I need to make sure that I don't taste dung!"

They bickered about the toothbrush for another five minutes before Sirius came in and found Lily and James bickering and Lucious watching then.

"Hey, Lily you shouldn't be in here, James, what's taking so long! We're going to be there in ten minutes and neither of you are changed."

"Lily here won't give me the toothbrush!"

"Yeah, well he didn't have to eat dung!" Lily popped the brush back in her mouth.

"Dung and Vomit are both bad, now Lily finish by the time I count to ten and James, same for you when Lily finishes.

Sirius stated to count. Lily brushed vigorously. "Ten! Lily give it to James! James, start, Lily leave. Lucious you too!"

Sirius began counting to ten again. "Ten! C'mon, we're going to be there in-"

"Five minutes until we reach Hogwarts!" the conductor's voice yelled throughout the train.

"I'm going, I'm going," James said dully, washing the toothbrush and putting it in his pocket.

"Rin, I'm going to the dorm room, 'k."

"'K."

Catherine went down towards the Great Hall, and Lily went towards the Gryffindor Common room entrance.

"Finally, back home where I belong," she said to herself and plopped down on the couch. "I better get upstairs, and unpack, maybe I'll do it tomorrow, I don't know," Lily said groggily walking slowly up the stairs.

When she reached her dormitory she walked over to her trunk and pulled out her pajamas. As she was changing she felt the locket, and took it off her neck. She just stared at it smiling, reading, and re-reading the message inscribed on the back of it. She opened it and her smile grew bigger, she was watching them dance, the mistletoe, the tree, and the kiss. She put it on her nightstand and then moved it to her shirt.

"I still can't believe that he gave me this," she said to herself picking up the locket.

"Who, gave you what?" Catherine asked coming through the door.

"Nothing, talking to myself is all," she said hastily.

"Lily did you and James really share a _toothbrush_?" Clemintine asked walking through the door, the other dorm mates following.

"Who- oooh… right…Lucious, yes, but only because he ate a vomit flavored Berttie Bott, and I ate a dung flavored one. Rin, remind me to kill Lucious."

"Will do," she said plopping onto her bed.

"And that you went into the boys bathroom," she asked eagerly.

"Yes, but I had to get the toothbrush, I mean, if you ate dung wouldn't you run in and take your toothbrush. Plus I would have gotten my other one, but I couldn't find it. That reminds me, where is James? He never gave me my brush back."

"Lily cant you wait 'till morning?" asked Rin tiredly.

"No, because if I do, then I start sneezing like sneezy."

"Who?"

"Muggle thing, coming or not?" Lily started walking out the door.

"Coming."

Lily walked up the boy's staircase to James dorm and started knocking on the door. "James, I need my brush back," Lily told him once he came to the door.

"Oh, right here," he handed her the toothbrush. "Wait I thought you said I could keep John," he said suspiciously.

"Yes, well, I can't find Betty, or Mark, or even Clarence, and if I don't brush my teeth first thing in the morning I start to sneeze, so can I have it back?" she asked holding her hand out.

"Here, Sirius found our stuff anyway," he put it in her hand.

"If you ever get bored with yours you can use mine, I know you like to talk to him," she giggled and left.

"_Okay_, so anyway, full moon tomorrow guys what're we doing?" Lily heard James ask as he shut the door; Lily made a mental note to stay up tomorrow.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12, Heads Bathroom

"Lily what's that in your hand?" Catherine asked.

"Oh, this, just something James gave me for Christmas. Nothing special," she said walking through the door.

"James gave you something, let me see it," Catherine jumped.

"Er…."

"Please Lily, what did James give you?" Penelope asked curiously.

"Just a locket, nothing special," Lily was blushing.

"Oh my God, a locket, let me see it!" Lauren exclaimed jumping to her feet. Lily was a little scared of them so she just let them see it. "Wow, Lily this is beautiful, white gold with a lily on it. He must really like you, what's this on the back. 'It doesn't _matter. _What matters is that I meant what I wrote. And I thought you did, too. Of course I meant it. Then why did you freak out like that today at the Carnival? Well, because… because…I thought…I thought you were making fun of me. Never'" Clemintine read out loud.

"Well he took that from a muggle book I was reading the night of the dance," she was still standing there blushing.

"Look what he put on the inside of it, you dancing and kissing under the mistletoe. What's going on between you anyway?" Penelope asked looking at Lily.

"Nothing, I had to dance with him again at a stupid ball our mothers signed us up for, but I strangled him first, made him turn a good shade of purple before I let go. Sirius managed to pull me off, wish he didn't. I ignored that kiss, and the second one, Voldemort attacked-it's only a name! -, killed my best friend, and he sort of consoled me. The holiday was a mess. Oh, and we turned them into human gingerbread men, their screams woke up the entire neighborhood practly. Can I have the locket back?"

"Sorry," Lauren handed her the locket.

"Thanks," she said putting it around her neck, "Night."

After Lily closed her hangings she heard everyone talking, but didn't care for what they were saying, she pulled out the locket and smiled, she was never fond of jewelry, but this was one thing she would never take off, ever.

"Rin, why didn't you wake me up!" Lily stormed through the Great Hall, without her shoes on. Her hair was down and she had a sock on her arm.

"Well, I thought you were already up, besides you have twenty minutes until we go to Hogsmede," she explained.

"Oh, today's not Monday is it?" she slapped herself in the head.

"Oh well, why do I have a sock on my arm?" she asked herself.

"No idea, what do you want to do in Hogsmede?"

"No idea, get some butterbeer, and knowing you, you'd want to shop," she said putting her sock on her foot, and shoving on her shoes.

"Righty-o! Lily magma has a letter for you."

"Hey, who sent this? It's written in a really deep red," She took a bite of toast and opened it.

"I will give you one more chance to accept my offer Evans. Join me, Lord Voldemort, or die," she read aloud. "Ah, so shopping for robes or make-up," Lily asked dully.

"You're not joining him are you?"

"Rin, what would make you think that I'd join him? Robes, or make-up?"

"Robes."

"Okay, let's go before we miss the carriages," Lily and Catherine both stood up.

"Rin, I don't need new robes, mine fit perfectly well. I'm just here to comment," Lily whined.

"Miss, does this girl need new robes or not?" Catherine asked the clerk.

"Yes, those are much to big, not to mention they're the boys uniform."

"No, you can't make me, I'm not getting new robes!" she yelled and sat huffily down in the chair.

"Fine, don't then, but how does this blue on look on me?"

"Nice Rin, but take away the bright orange and make it a pale purple. Much nicer."

"Looking good Rin," Sirius said walking in the store.

"Beautiful," Remus said.

"Wonderful," came from James.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lily asked, "you don't really get a lot of guys in here."

"Ah, well, James needs some robes because he's has to go to some ball that his mum signed him up for, thank the great god she didn't sign me up, I'd hate to dance with someone who constantly stepped on my feet. I'm still wearing the bandages," Sirius said.

"Oh, oh well. Rin try on the silver one again, I just figured out what it was missing," Lily got up and dragged Sirius over to where Catherine was standing in the silver dress. "Perfect," Lily said standing back to admire the scene. "Anyone got a camera? No, oh well, Sirius you can come down now."

"Okay, Lily I want you to go up there and put on this green dress, no I don't want to hear it, the lady behind the counter said it would look stunning on you," Catherine walked toward Lily and put the dress in her hand.

"But Rin, I don't want-" Lily began.

"Ba- ba- ba- ba- ba, I don't want to hear it, get the dress on now young lady."

"Better be careful you're starting to sound like my mother," she walked behind the wall that was set up there.

"You're not changing," Catherine tutted.

"How do you know I'm not changing?"

"Because I'm physhic, and I can see your shadow."

"Damn, Rin why do you make me do the things that I hate most in the world?"

"Because I take great joy in seeing you pout and stomp and scream."

"You know, I've never met a girl in my entire life who didn't like shopping," James said.

"That's because you've never met me," Lily said walking out.

"See, you see the dress. You like the dress. And now I'm going back behind to take it off."

"No you don't," Catherine said pulling her back into the center. The boy's jaws dropped when they saw Lily. She was wearing a dark green dress that really brought out the green in her eyes.

"Lily why don't you wear that necklace like this instead of swung around your back. There," she put James locket in the front where people could see it. "Rin, can I please go back and change the boys are starring at me and a lot more people passing by are too," Lily pleaded.

"Wait, James come here for a second," James obeyed and came over to her. "Here, I want you to put these on and come back outside, okay," Catherine handed a pair of black robes. He came back a minute later. "Okay, what do you want me to do now?" he asked.

"Stand next to Lily like you're her escort somewhere."

"Okay," James did as he was told.

"Look at you two, picture perfect."

"Yes, yes, we look good together, now can I change," Lily asked impatiently, "I feel like a piece of meat."

"Fine, but we're buying the dress."

"Does that mean I can change?"

"Yes."

"Yippie!"

"So do you need a date to the ball thing?" Catherine asked James. "No, My grandmother is going to get me out of it. I asked her, but I still need robes because mine are all torn and stained."

"I'm not surprised with how you eat your food, you know that," Lily yelled from behind the wall.

"Hey!"

"It's the truth, you didn't even smell the vomit bean I gave you," she defended herself walking to them. "Can we go pay and get some butterbeer, and lunch, I'm starved."

"Yes, yes, what are you going to name this dress?"

"Walter."

"How about Wayne?"

"What are you trying to do torture it, does it look like a Wayne? No, it looks like a Walter," Lily joked.

"Okay, Walter it is."

"Yes, I'm out! I don't have to go. Oh yeah, Woo-hoo! I love you grandma!" James chanted dancing around the room. Holing a piece of paper in his hand.

"That's great James, but can we get back to the matter at hand, tonight," Sirius said pulling him off the table. "What time are we going?"

"Five minutes to midnight under the invisibility clock dolt, like always."

"Yes, where are we going?"

"Into the forest, it'll be loads of fun, think of all the stuff we haven't seen yet," James was grinning devilishly.

"Well I better get to Madam Pomfrey now, I want some dinner before I have to go," Remus stood up and walked out through the portrait hole.

"See ya' Moony," they chorused together.

Lily woke up at five and couldn't get back to sleep, so she went down to the common room to read. When she got comfy on the couch she open the book and started to read the first sentence, but she was interrupted by the portrait whole opening and hearing voices.

"Sirius that was my foot you just stood on!"

"Sorry, but I can't see where I'm going," he hissed back.

"Guys," a tiny voice squeaked.

"Peter!" the two voices hissed.

"Sirius watch- Ouch!" A pair of feet came out of nowhere, and arm was lying on the ground, and James's unmistakable messy hair was showing.

Lily walked over to them and pulled off the cloak. "Tonight's a full moon, you didn't, you wouldn't… you did. You idiots, you could get thrown in Azkaban!"

"Lily shh, you'll wake the entire house," James whispered, trying to stand. His robes were ripped all over.

"You fools, do you know how much trouble you are in," Lily whispered. "And now I get those nicknames you have for each other."

"Padfoot, your dog feet must be huge, Wormtail, I'm guessing you're a rat. James must be a stag, so proud all the time, Prongs, and look your hurt he didn't bite you did he?"

"No, just scratched him, Lily can you not tell anyone about this?" Sirius asked pleadingly.

"Of course, but only because I don't want to see you all in Azkaban. James come, we're going to fix you. Grab your cloak."

"Where are we going?"

"To the Heads bathroom, and be quiet or they'll hear us."

They walked in silence for a while then they reached Dumbledore's office entrance. "Lily-"

"Shh, Berttie Botts."

The stone gargoyle sprang to life, and the spiral stairs revolved upward. Usually they would go up to talk to Dumbledore, but this time they wanted to go to the Heads bathroom, which was in the opposite direction.

"Wow, Lily how did you find this place?" The bathroom was pearly white, and had what looked like ten individual pools for bathing.

"Well, I got curious is all, now go and sit over there while I fill this up, and take off your shirt. Don't think I'm going to do anymore than clean you up," Lily ordered, and James obeyed.

"Man, I wish I still had the map, then I could put this on it."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"This will sting," Lily told him dipping the white washcloth into the substance that looked like water and pressing it to his back where he had four long and deep gashes. He winced with pain as the towel touched his skin.

Lily placed the towel down and put her hand over the four cuts and muttered a spell. James could feel the wounds healing.

"You can do wandless magic! How?"

"Because the people who can control the Green Flame Torch have natural healing powers, but none good or strong enough to bring back the dead," Lily explained. "That's only one, you have two more here," she said pointing to his arm, "and one more across your chest. Remus really did a number on you, didn't he?"

"Lily are the cuts supposed to be foaming?"

"Yes it's a muggle antibacterial it means it's working," she said calmly dabbing his arm with the cloth. She put her hand to his arm, and said the spell again.

They just sat there in silence as Lily did what she had done before again. "You know you're lucky it's the weekend, because you should try not to use this arm for at least a day, to make sure it's healed," she said dabbing his chest, then performing the spell for the last time. "If you get cut again come to me, any of you, okay, and not for little things, I mean the big things. C'mon the teachers are going to come down soon to get ready," she told him hopping under the cloak, James following, headed toward the Gryffindor common room.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13, The Surprise

"Lily, whatever- your- middle- names is-" James came storming down the boys staircase.

"Halley Kathryn"

"Why do you have two middle names?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, why do I have green and purple dots all over me?" he yelled so loud made the whole house look towards them.

"Because I wanted to see if you would make a good Barney," Lily was working on her transfiguration homework and hadn't looked up at all.

"A good who?"

"Barney, he's a muggle character for little kids, now if you don't mind I'm trying to concentrate, Transfiguration isn't my best subject."

"Well I do mind, put me back to my right colors!"

"You have to see Madam Pomfrey about that, she knows how to get rid of it."

James groaned and walked out the portrait hole.

"Urg, Rin I can't do this, help!" Lily whined giving her the puppy dog eyes.

"Coming, oh Transfiguration and Anamgi, I never even started, and we have to hand it in tomorrow, splendid, just splendid. Sorry Lily, but I can't help," Catherine told Lily pulling out parchment and starting to write something very fast.

"Dur, why didn't I think of this before?" Lily asked herself walking out the portrait James walked out of a few minutes earlier, a piece of parchment in her hand.

"James, I need your help, the library is closed, and I don't know anything about Anamigi's," Lily said walking through the doors.

"Why should I help you, you turned me into a walking piece of moldy broccoli."

"Because you're not Snape," Lily said simply.

"Where did that come from?"

"I saw him in the hallway coming and asked him for help, you know since he's the best in potions, he said 'get lost you filthy mudblood'. So, will you help me?" Lily asked very hopeful.

"Yes," James sighed, "here give me the parchment." Lily handed him the parchment, and he scribbled some things down on it, and handed it back to lily. "Just don't use the exact wording, McGonagall would notice."

"Of course, thanks so much, you're a lifesaver," Lily hugged him and walked out the door.

"Rin, I got our answers!" Lily whispered walking through the portrait hole.

"How?"

"James, here, don't copy anything exactly though," she told her placing the parchment in the middle of them.

"Done! Looks good, I feel so evil, that's the first time I ever cheated," she whispered to Catherine who was on her last sentence.

"Looks good, hope it'll pass," Catherine said to herself, putting it in her Transfiguration book.

"I'm going to the Prefects bathroom, I ran into Snape on the way to the Hospital wing, and I think I got some of his grease on me," Lily told Catherine walking up to her room, and putting on a swim suit. You can never be too sure someone won't walk in on you. "You want to come?"

"Yeah, why not, the place is so pretty anyway, oh, can we put a lot of bubbles in it this time. Bubbles are so much fun, they're like clouds," Catherine said getting hers on.

"Yes, Rin, we can put a lot of bubbles, like we always do," Lily said smiling walking out the door with her robe on.

"Yay!"

"My, you're very energetic today," she giggled.

"I know," Catherine replied giving her a huge grin.

"Irish Spring," Lily said to the portrait, and it opened to reveal a huge pool, with about twenty different taps. Catherine had memorized which taps set off all the foam and perfume water, so she ran to turn them on. After a few minutes of waiting the pool was filled with tons and tons of bubbles. More bubbles in fact, than there was water.

They pulled off their robes, and jumped in. "Rin, you may have put too much bubbles in, I'm floating back to the top."

"Uh… right I'll just go put in some more water then," she turned the closest facet and bright blue water came pouring out.

"That's better, hey look," Lily scooped up a clod of foam in her hand and blew it. It floater all the way over to Catherine and landed on her head.

They started to have a bubble war, blowing the bubbles all the way across to the other one. They only stopped when they heard the portrait open, but they couldn't see who it was because the bubbles were floating all over the place.

"Who's there?" Lily and Catherine asked at the same time.

"It's just James, Sirius, and Remus," Lily said dully.

"How do you know it's us, you can barely see anything, whoa-" there was a loud splash, "see I just fell in."

"James, I could spot your hair a mile away."

"Oh."

"Shouldn't you be in the Hospital Wing?"

"No, whoa-" another splash, James had just fallen in, "she put this stuff all over me, and it smells horrible. I had a very hard time to get her to let me leave," he explained. The bubbles were starting to settle down.

"What's with all the bloody bubbles anyway?"

"Hey, they're not bloody, I have a fondness for bubbles, it's not my fault. Ow, watch it Remus, you just fell on me!" Catherine shouted.

"Sorry, but I can't see a thing!" everyone heard.

"Accio!" Lily whispered, and her wand zoomed into her hand. "_Evansio!_" the bubbles that were floating in the air vanished in a second.

"Much better," James said, "I thought I was going blind."

"What time is it?" Lily asked.

"About eight, why?" Remus answered.

"Okay, Rin, I'm gonna go back, I want to try and finish _The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle_, you coming?"

"Yeah, why not."

"They both started to get out, "Er… Lily don't you want us to turn around or something?" James asked.

"Don't matter, you can look if you want to," Lily tried getting out. "Great, I can't get out, oh yay, I did it!" she yelled running for a towel.

"Good thing we decided to wear swim suites, they looked so hopeful, when you told them they could look," Catherine giggled walking over to Lily.

"Sorry boy, but you can never be too sure no ones going to walk in on you," Lily smiled, "honestly, you thought I would get out with you all looking at me naked. Use your brains, that is if you have any," Lily wrapped her robe, and walked out with Catherine.

"Lily," James called.

"Yes," she said tuning around.

"Meet me after dinner tomorrow, I have a surprise that you're going to love, okay."

"Okay," they left without a backward glance.

"What do you think he's planning?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know, probably something like sneaking off to Hogsmede," Lily answered.

"Who's going to Hogsmede?" Penelope asked, they had just entered the room.

"James told Lily to meet him after dinner, he said something about a surprise that she'll like," Catherine told them.

"Oh, what do you think it will be?"

"I don't know, I'm going to get the bubbles out of my hair," Lily told them walking into the bathroom, she was smiling and blushing.

"She's defiantly going to like this surprise," Lily heard them talking, as she washed her hair.

"That's better, night guy," Lily said jumping in her bed and closing the hangings.

"Night," everyone said.

"Are you excited about today?" Catherine asked all giddy.

"Why would I be?" Lily asked

"Tonight, James's surprise," they were walking down the corridor to the Great Hall.

"Oh, I guess. Potions today, right?"

"Right, Sourculdron is going to make us finish our veritaserum."

"Great, just what I want, people to know my secrets," Lily said sourly.

"It's not like I want them to either, but we need the grade, well at least I do."

"Pass me the cereal."

"Wow, Lily Evans isn't eating toast today," Catherine joked passing Lily the cereal.

"Yes well…."

"C'mon we are going to be late to Sourculdron's class, you know how he gets," Catherine said standing.

"Yeah, coming."

"Ah, Miss Sugarsweets, Miss. Evans what a pleasure that you actually decided to attend my class," the Professor drawled.

"What the bell didn't ring, did it?" The next second she heard a 'berrrrrriiiiiinnnnggg'.

"I was scared there for a second, I'll just be sitting down now," Lily said with a sigh of relief moving towards a seat.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken Miss. Evans, you're going to be the first person we test the Veritaserum on, please make your way to the front of the class."

"Damn," Lily muttered, her face was turning red and her temperature rose to what she thought was 200 degrees Fahrenheit. She was never a person who could talk or sit in front of a class filled with people.

"What?"

Lily didn't answer she completely choked. She sat on the stool and her leg was bouncing involuntary. When she tried to hold one leg down, the other leg would start to involuntarily shake, and her eyes started to twitch.

"Please drink this potion," the Professor told her kindly, she read the name, Severus Snape, _Good, Snape's good in potions, at least I know I'm not going to choke to death, _she thought as she took a small sip.

Everyone was watching, she stopped twitching slowly, and her eyes started to fog over in a dazed expression.

"Good, Miss. Evans, why were you twitching so much?" Professor Sourculdron asked her.

"It's a nervous reaction when I'm in front of a large number of people, most notice it when I sit, when I stand it is not as noticeable," Lily answered looking at no one in particular her eyes glazed over.

"Okay," she said scribbling something down on a clipboard. "Now tell me, what is your deepest secret?"

"That's an invasion of privacy! You can't, it'll put her in danger more than she already is!"

"Mr. Potter please be quiet, Miss. Evans answer the question."

"Voldemort is after-" she began

Not a moment later there was a huge explosion of dungbombs and the class was running outside. Lily just sat there and talked, not aware of her surroundings.

"That was close," James sighed in relief.

"Yeah, but did you have to use my entire stock?" Sirius whined.

"Yes, it got everyone out just in time, didn't it? I didn't even hear a word that she said.

"C'mon we have to get Lily out of there before she permanently smells like dung," Catherine said walking back in, a look of disgust upon her face.

When they went back in Lily was still sitting on the stool, the same as they left her.

"Lily how do we take the potion off you Lily?" Catherine asked her.

"You don't it wares off after about three hours, it would take lesser if I drank the reversal potion," she said, her eyes still fogging over.

"Great, how are we supposed to explain this to the teachers, let's go to McGonagall," Remus suggested grabbing one of Lily's arms, she really couldn't walk properly.

"Good idea Moony," James agreed grabbing her other arm and heading up to the Transfiguration room.

"Come on Sirius, Rin," Remus yelled to the two of them.

"Mr. Potter, what happened to Lily?" Professor McGonagall asked when they came through the door.

"Professor Sourculdron fed her Veritaserum and didn't give the antidote, we were wondering if you had any?" Sirius asked following them.

"Why did she let the class out so early?"

"Someone threw an entire case of dungbombs in the middle of class. Oh how I wish it were me," Sirius explained dreamily.

"Well, you'll have to go up to the Headmasters office, I believe he has the antidote," she told them calmly.

"We'll be off then," James said turning around, "Professor!"

"James, what happened to Miss. Evans?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"We were testing our Veritaserum and someone set off a pack of dungbombs and we never got the antidote. She can barely walk." Remus explained.

"Ah, come up to my office, Minerva will you please come to my office after this class, I have something I wish to tell you," the Headmaster asked.

She nodded in response, and continued teaching. Everyone had started to make their way to the Headmasters office.

"Please sit Miss. Evans in the chair, I will fetch the antidote," Dumbledore told them, walking to a closed cupboard and pulling out a black substance.

"Mr. Black please pour some of this down her throat, she should wake up in a minute," Sirius did as he was told and within a minute Lily was back to conciseness.

"Who set off the dungbombs? I know it was one of you, so there is no point in lying," the Headmaster asked surveying everyone in the room.

"I did, but only because she was going to make Lily say something that could put her in danger of Voldemort, and she wouldn't listen when I told her not to. She just said 'continue Miss. Evans'," James explained so fast that the words were barely audible. "It's understandable that she wouldn't listen to a student, but I had to do something," he finished.

"Well then in that case, there will be no detention and you are still Head Boy, also fifteen points to Gryffindor for helping to keep a fellow pupil safe. Although I will have to deduct five points, seeing as you filled the entire potions class with dung."

"You actually understood him Professor, I couldn't hear a word after 'I did'," Catherine said amazed.

"Well, when you have him in here so many time talking so fast, one gets used to it," he smiled with the familiar twinkle in his eyes.

"What?" Lily asked, she couldn't hear a single word that was uttered from his mouth.

"You almost said why Voldemort was after you," James said, turning to look at her.

"I did? Oh no, what do you mean almost?" Lily was looking quizzically from James to Dumbledore, and back.

"I set off dungbombs and got the entire class and Sourculdron out before you said too much."

Lily couldn't say anything she was in shock.

"_Professor_ Sourculdron, although I don't know how much longer she will be a Professor," Dumbldore said looking at the door, "yes, well, on you go, I believe you have Charms."

Everyone had a look of glee on their faces as they left. Sourculdron was going to get fired, everyone had waited for this wonderful day to come, everyone but the Slytherins. They liked their head of house, she managed to make them win the house cup for the last six years in a row.

"Miss. Evans may I have a word?" Dumbledore asked as she was about ot leave.

"Yes Professor?"

"The have just found the last of the Green Flame Torches. It is located in the Department of Mysteries, the torch is very dangerous, so they put it behind a door that will remain locked. I thought it would be good if I told you."

"Thank you Professor," Lily walked out the door, and found the others waiting at the bottom.

"Well, there's no point denying it, Rin, I'll tell what this is all about later, James thank you," Lily gave James a hug. "I'll tell you to Remus, you look awfuly confused. James, they found one of the Torches, probably the last one, it's behind a locked door in the Ministry of Magic," she told them.

"Why is it behind a locked door?"

"Sirius it's dangerous, what would you do? Legend says it's very dangerous, worse than death, and yet wonderful, humans cannot understand it, and it has more force than nature itself. No one has understood it," Lily explained.

"Oh."

"You're ten minutes late," the tiny Professor Flitwick squeaked.

"Sorry, Professor Dumbledore wanted to see us."

"Very well Mr. Lupin, take a seat we're practicing the Invisibility charm, pair up," he ordered.

"Who gets Peter?" James asked, "I had him last."

"Me," Sirius said glumly walking over to Peter, he never could do the simplest spells.

"Moony, looks like me and you today, huh," James pointed out slinging his arm around Remus's shoulder and walking into the middle of the classroom.

"There will be no desert today, do to some mishaps in the kitchens, it should be fixed around eight o'clock, if you wish you may come back then," Dumbledore announced.

"You wanted to see me?" Lily asked smiling.

"Let's go for a walk around the lake," James told Lily walking out the doors, "c'mon, it's nice out."

"Nice out! It's like ice! I don't even have a cloak!" Lily yelled when she took her first step out the door.

"Come here," James walked closer to her, and handing her his cloak.

"But you'll freeze," Lily pointed out, James just shrugged and started walking.

"The cold frees you're mind, well at least mine, c'mon, and if I catch a cold I wont blame it on you. Promise."

"Fine, but here, well share," Lily opened the cloak and James went close to her.

"Smell the air, it smells so clean. Everything looks so clean," Lily said looking up at the sky.

"Lily."

"Yes, James," she looked down only to receive a face full of snow.

"Oh, no, you're asking for it," she got another face full of snow. "Bring it on!" she yelled throwing a clump of snow at the only thing that wasn't white.

"Hey, argh, that went down my shirt!" James yelled running over to her and stuffing a snowball down her shirt, receiving a very loud scream.

"Cold, cold, cold, cold," Lily was chanting pulling out her shirt and shacking it to get the snow out. "You're going to pay for that Potter!"

"Really, and how do you plan to do tha- ow!" He just got hit in the back of the head with a snowball.

"So this is what brain freeze is," James joked throwing another snowball at her. No one noticed all the streamers being hung up and the gigantic balloons floating all over in the Great Hall.

"Okay, I think we're wet and cold enough now," a panting James said, it was true, he was soaked from head to foot, and his lips were black and blue.

"I agree, let's go back to the common room and dry up," Lily suggested.

"Yeah," they both started to walk toward the Gryffindor tower, robes dripping and shivering.

"Warmth!" Lily exclaimed running to the fire when they got there.

"Heat!" James would have thrown himself in the fire if Lily hadn't caught him.

"I'm going to get changed."

"Yeah, good idea."

They both went up to their own dormitory and changed, Lily had to dry her hair with a towel because James smashed so many snowballs on her head it was soaked from root, to the very last waist length tip.

"Where is everyone?" Lily asked walking down the stairs in a lose shirt and pants.

"Great Hall, its 8:15. I'm hungry, all the snow has made me hungry," James answered.

"Yeah, I'm coming too," Lily said following.

They walked down to the Great Hall in silence; James had an anxious look in his eyes, like he was waiting for something spectacular to happen. When they reached the oak doors that separated the corridor from the dining area, James nearly jumped, and Lily got butterflies in her stomach, though she did not know why.

James pushed the doors open and Lily heard hundreds of people screaming "Surprise!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14, "How Many More?"

Lily had to hold on to James because she was so surprised. James was smiling, "A promise is a promise," he told her.

"Rin! Sirius! Remus! Peter! Professor's! James! Oh my God! Thank you!" Lily jumped hugging him.

"So, I take it you like it."

"Love it!" Lily exclaimed looking around. She saw streamers and balloons littering the floor, and a big Christmas tree. "How could you get a Christmas tree in here without me noticing?"

"Not important."

"Lily look, we got karokay!" Sirius exclaimed, pointing at the stereos on each side of the room, and a machine in the middle.

"I believe he means kareoke," Remus translated.

"This is wonderful! Thank you!"

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Lily, Happy birthday to you," Lily turned around and saw a huge cake.

"Oh… my… God," Lily breathed, "Is that mine?"

"Of course, silly, who's would it be?" Rin said smiling almost jumping because she was so excited.

"I don't know what to say."

"Make a wish, Sirius is about to eat it with the candles lit!" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling more than ever before.

Lily closed her eyes and made a wish, then blew out all the candles in one blow.

"What did you wish for?"

"Sorry Rin, if I tell you it wont come true," Lily thought her grin wasn't going to ever leave her face.

"What do you say we start this birthday off by starting it the same way we did last time," James said whipping his wand, their clothes were replaced with the muggle clothes they wore at the ball their parents made them attend.

"What do you say?"

"Why not," James took Lily's hand and they walked into the center of the room. Music started playing.

"At least we don't have to worry about Voldemort attacking us again. This is really nice, I can't believe you remembered."

"Why not? Well- Sirius already attacked to cake, look," James pointed out. Sirius had eaten a fourth of the cake and McGonagall had tried to drag him away.

"Wow, can he eat, or can he eat?" Lily and James snickered.

"He's not even hungry, when he's hungry he just a regular pig."

"He looks like one now."

"I heard that!"

"Sirius has hearing like a dog, and the eating abilities of a pig," Lily snickered.

The song ended, and people were lined up eager to start singing.

"This is the best day, Sourculdron is gone, I had a snowball fight, _and_ a birthday I actually enjoyed. Who's singing first?"

"Catherine Sugarsweets singing _The Bloke Across the Lake _by_ The Potion Brewers_!" A booming voice said though no one was visible.

"Guess that answers my question," Lily was smiling as her best friend walked on the stage taking the microphone into her hand.

"What's this?" Magma had flown over to Lily; a letter clutched in her break, she was completely bewildered.

"Who?"

"This can't be good, no one gets mail during dinner, open it and let's see what it says," Catherine urged her.

Lily opened it and started to read, "Okay, I have to go," her voice was shaking, her lip trembling. She stood up closed her eyes for a second and pinched her nose; she didn't want to cry in front of anyone, and walked quietly out the giant oak doors.

James saw her pinch her nose and knew that it meant something so bad had happened that it made her want to cry. He got up followed her out of the Great Hall, not realizing Sirius hit him in the back with a charm. When he got out he saw no sign of her anywhere.

A screen showed up in front of Sirius, like a video camera was taping something from above. James and he was looking for something, or someone.

"Sirius Marigold Black, take this camera off me now!" James yelled looking up.

"Hey, don't use my middle name, you know how I hate it! I'm taking it off, I'm taking it off," he said glumly. He really wanted to see what was going on, but he knew what James could do when he got angry.

_Spend all your time waiting/ for that second chance/ for a break that would make it okay/ there's always one reason/ to feel not good enough/ and it's hard at the end of the day/ I need some distraction/ oh beautiful release/ memory seeps from my veins/ let me be empty/ and weightless and maybe/ I'll find some peace tonight. _Lily was singing, choking on every few words because of the tears she was trying to hold back.

"Why did you have to go?" she asked no one, speaking mostly to the stars. Only the air seemed to be responding, as to say it knows how she felt, swirling around her. Hugging her.

"It was their time to go," James had just appeared at the door. Lily was trying to wipe away the tears, to make it look like she never cried.

"What are you doing here? You gave me such a fright."

"I wanted to make sure you were okay, I saw you fighting back the tears," James replied walking over to her, concern was marked all over his eyes.

"I'm fine, really I am," Lily tried to convince him, but it wasn't working.

"No, no you're not, you know why? Because when Scarlet died, and you had to cope with it, you thought you were going to go insane. You haven't gone insane, Scarlet was like a sister remember, and you thought only Scarlet could keep you sane. Well, not only Scarlet can, I can, and Rin can, Sirius, yes Sirius can, Remus, even Peter. We're all here for you."

"Thanks, but-" Lily couldn't hold the tears, the came pouring out.

"_Shh_, it's okay, with one life gone, another is born, remember," James said rapping his arms around her.

"Stop, calm down Lily, you don't cry. Stay cool, you'll see them again," Lily tried talking to herself to try and calm herself down.

"No, Lily, it's better to cry, don't hold it all in."

"James, I _don't_ cry, ever! Just a tear streak here or there, but I, Lily Halley Evans_, do not cry_," then she started crying, "Great just the thing I wanted to do!"

"I don't see what's so bad about crying, it shows you're human. It's not a sign of weakness or anything."

"It's just he killed them, he killed them to get to me, and it's working. How many more?" Lily cried into his shoulder. "Their lives were too short. I want to know how many more are going to die until he gets to me? It makes you think just how many chances life gives you, and all the chances that you take for granted," Lily looked up into his eyes, "All the fears that you never get over."

"Well then take a chance, two lives just ended; two lives that joined in marriage, and love. How about we make two more joined lives begin?" James asked.

"James, he'll go after you too, won't he?"

"He's already after me and my family, we're full of Aurors, my mother and father. It's up to you now Lily, take the chance or don't, but I promise never to hurt you," James was looking into her eyes.

Lily kissed him, "Is that a yes?" he asked her when they broke apart.

"No, it's a no. Of course it's a yes!" her tear stained face smiling back at him.

"Do you want to stay or go somewhere warmer? How does _The Three Broomsticks_ sound?" James suggested.

"James that's in _Hogsmede_, how do you propose we get there?" she pointed out.

James smiled and replied, "One of the perks to being a Hogwarts prankster, c'mon follow me." James too her hand and walked out the Astronomy tower door.

When they reached the statue of a humpbacked witch, James tapped it on the hump and whispered, "_Dissendum!_" Before Lily could say anything, the witch opened wide enough to fit a person not much bigger than James into it.

"C'mon, before they see us."

He pulled her into the passageway hidden behind.

"James, what is this? How-"

"C'mon, I'll tell you on the way."

James lit his wand tip and started to progress forward, Lily was following looking around at the dark tunnel.

"Remus actually found this, gave us the idea of why it was the only statue in the hall here. We just fooled around with it and it opened. Quiet helpful. Filtch doesn't even know about it," James told her, the ground was sloping down.

"Whoa-" Lily just slipped on the floor, the melting snow was dripping through the crevasses. "James, I can't stop! Help! My wand!" Lily was shouting as she slid down the tunnel. He wand flew out of her hand, and continued to slide down with her.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" he yelled preparing to slide down the tunnel just as Lily had done previously.

"James where-oof!" James just collided with Lily. The ground had become more level now so they stopped sliding.

"That was fun, eh?" James's wand was illuminating his face so Lily could see a faint outline of a smile.

"No," she answered bluntly.

James just snickered and said, "C'mon, we're almost there, and it's all uphill. Ladies first."

Lily took the lead, about five minutes later she asked, "When are we going to get there- ow! I just it my head!"

"Good," Lily heard him say, "we're there."

James went over to where she was standing, and pushed on the ceiling a little bit. He looked through a tiny crack to see if anyone was there, when he saw no one, he opened it entirely, and got out.

"C'mon, no one's here," he whispered walking toward the front door, Lily following.

"James what if we're seen?" Lily asked once they were out.

"So, everyone knows me and the rest, we come here so often. They enjoy having us," was his explanation as he took her hand, and walked to_ The Tree Broomsticks_.

"Hello James, this is a surprise, where are the rest of your friends?" Madam Rosmeritia inquired, she ran _The Tree Broomsticks._

"Back in the castle, most likely still eating, this is Lily," James introduced, "Could we have two butterbeers?"

"Yes, certainly, Lily he must really like you, you're the first girl he brought here when it wasn't a Hogsmede weekend," she left to go and fetch the butterbeers.

"Really, I feel so special," Lily told him smiling, "Remus found it, I thought you and Sirius found all the passageways, thanks," Madam Rosmertia had just come back with two butterbeers.

"Ah, well now you know who," James took a sing of his butterbeer.

"Yes, but I found one, well it's not really a passage way, more like a room; and I have a feeling you don't know where it is," she said smugly.

"Where is it? Maybe I know."

"In the Gryffindor tower."

"Really, there's one there?"

"Yep, quite nice inside too," Lily took a sip of her butterbeer.

"Show me when we get back," James insisted.

"Depends on if the common room is empty," Lily told him.

"Why?"

"Because it's located in the common room, dur."

"Dur?"

"Hey don't mock how I speak," she was trying to sound offended but instead burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"I have no idea," she barely was able to get the words out from her laughter.

"I can't breathe," she stopped laughing, but only from the lack of oxygen failing to reach her lungs.

"How about we go outside?" James suggested, "the cold air might help." He stood up and placed a galleon on the table.

"Yeah, I've never laughed so much in my entire life," she told him getting a full blast of the cold in her face as they walked out.

"Is that a good thing?" Lily abruptly asked stopping in her tracks.

"Is what a good thing?" James turned around so that he was facing Lily.

"That I'm laughing after I just found out my parents are dead," Lily looked like she was guilty of murder.

"No, Lily, you're not the mourning type. You're not the same as other people. Other's would deny and cry, you're not the average person, that's what I love about you," James pointed out. "Even when you hated me, I still loved you for the personality that you carry. You're one of a kind."

"Thanks, let's get back to Hogwarts, it's getting late, and Rin'll be worried sick."

A big gust of wind blew, it felt like it could lift her up and make her fly. She spread out her arms like they were wings, closed her eyes, and stood there, "Lily, what are you doing?"

"Flying," she answered not opening her eyes. "C'mon just spread out your arms and feel the wind on your face. Take a deep breath, it's like all your emotions have left you forever, floating on a cloud that will never return."

She took one more deep breath before the wind seized, and started walking back to Honeydukes, the candy shop that held the secret passage to Hogwarts.

"Thanks," they had just reached the portrait of the fat lady; "I had fun, considering the circumstances."

"What do you say to flying Wednesday?"

"Er… I'm a little afraid of heights," she said kind of shyly.

"That's not a problem, just meet me in the Quidditch pitch on Wednesday after the Hufflepuff practice," he told her, she nodded to say yes.

"Great," James smiled and kissed her, which took Lily by surprise. They both walked into the common room, which was currently empty.

"Night," They said together, walking up their own dormitory staircases.

"Not again," moaned Catherine getting up from the comfort of her bed and walking over to a thrashing Lily. "Lily, Lily, wake up, please, you'll wake the entire school," she pleaded shaking her, the other girls in the dorm were beginning to stir.

"Not Harry, please. Have mercy. Take me instead!" She was shouting, and holding a bundle of blankets as if it were a small infant. Catherine attempted to wake her again, though before she could nudge Lily again, she was thrown into the sir, and skidded to a halt after she hit the dresser. A piercing scream was heard throughout the tower.

"Hello? Rin? Is anyone there? Why is it all black?" Lily was sitting up panting like a bulldog does on a hot summers day. Lily turned her head looking in all directions, and then she saw a pair of snakelike red eyes staring at her through the darkness. "No…" she whispered, "No… not again… please…" this time louder, but not by much. "Yes Lily, you shall never see the light of day again, or feel the warmth of love. You are trapped here forever. You are my wife now. Darkness' wife," the voice said in a slightly ringing tone though the pitch darkness.

"No… I- I'm n-n-not," she said shacking harder than ever, almost on the verge of having a seizure.

"You belong to me," the voice rang out once more, the eyes the only part showing.

"I d-d-don't belong t-too any-one," she was almost in tears. The eyes were drawing closer, the snakelike look about them that she had seen only twice before in her dreams, yet still recognized them as Voldemorts.

"You can run, but you will die, alone and forgotten."

"No- no- that's not true! Someone help me!" she shouted into the darkness. "No, I won't, I have James," she tried to convince the voice, but sounded more like she was convincing herself. "No," Lily jumped up to her feet and started running as far as she could away from those hateful eyes.

"I'm sorry, but it seems Ms. Evans has gone though a great ordeal, and has slipped into a strange, sleep-like trance," James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were told by Madam Pomphrey. Rin was lying on the bed next to Lily with a bandage, soaked with crimson blood, around her head, apparently knocked out cold.

"Will Rin be okay?" Sirius asked.

"Of course Mr. Black, she just needs her rest. Now shoo, go on get to class. They need their rest."

"But will she be okay?" James asked looking toward Lily, concern in his eyes.

Madam Pomphrey ushered them out of her ward, she could not tell James that Lily would be all right because she had never seen a case like this before. She held the door open for the marauders, not knowing that one of them was returning that same night, nor the night after, and every night whilst Lily was lying in that unusually white bed.

James couldn't keep but worrying for Lily. She had to have had a terribly horrible dream for something like this to happen. James had thought many times that she had had the dream about Voldemort coming and destroying their homes, and killing them off in the process. He couldn't think at all, Lily just kept popping into his mind all day. He couldn't see the hope in making it through his classes safely, the teachers kept asking him questions for their N.E.W.T.'s that were coming up in a few short months. James didn't care about the N.E.W.T.'s, he just wanted Lily back, safe and sound, to hold her and reassure her that everything was going to be okay.

That night James crept down to the infirmary under his invisibility cloak. He went to Lily's side, as he had done for many nights before, and took her hand in his. "Lily you can't leave me. You can't. I only just got you. Whoever said that stuff about how it's better to be loved, than to never love, it's all balonga. I'll stay here and try to fight off the deamonds along side you if I have to," James whispered.

Lily could hear a disembodied voice as she was running. She could hear the strong voice, a man's voice. I sounded sad, and trembling with fear. It was saying: "Lily you can't leave me. You can't. I only just got you. Whoever said that stuff about how it's better to be loved, than to never love, it's all balonga. I'll stay here and try to fight off the deamonds along side you if I have to."

This wasn't just any voice, this was James's. He said more: "This isn't fair you know. Why isn't anything fair anymore? Remember back when we first met, and I blew up that Dungbomb in your compartment? Why can't anything be as carefree as that? A harmless joke. Don't leave me Lily, don't,"- he pleaded-"I don't think I'd survive without you Lily. I have to go, I'll be back."

Apparently James had kissed Lily on her forehead because she felt something warm upon her forhead.

"_Get up_,_ Lily, get up_." It was a clam soothing voice, speaking to her again. She tried to scream for James to come back, but his footsteps never stopped.

"_Come on… I know you want to walk…. Just get on your feet… Nice and easy now."_ The calm voice never stopped.

"_That's a good girl,"_ it sounded like the wind was pushing her along, her feet were just moving, and she couldn't control anything.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15, The Fight

James was just outside the door when he heard a mattress creak in the silent night, and a scraping of slippers on the floor.

"Who's there?" he whispered, turning on the flame of his wand to see by. "Show yourselves!"

"H-help," something croaked. "I c-can't con- cont-rol it."

"Lily? What's wrong? Control what?" James could tell there was something seriously wrong with her. She was ghostly pale, and her eyes. Her eyes, they no longer contained the bright and beautiful green they were before she went into the hospital wing. They were pure white, and she stood up limply. As if someone were holding her under her armpits, and something invisible were pushing her forward.

"H-him," she croaked again.

Her eyes glowed green, and she shook uncontrollably. Her feet were rising off the ground. "You can't save her now, bloodtratior!" Lily said in an eerie voice, very much unlike her own. It was raspy and dry. It was a voice that sounded like it had no forgiveness.

Her hand lifted, and an orange beam of light shot out from her palm, hitting James directly in the chest. "Fool, caring for the mudblood that will one day belong to me!" Lily's mouth said again, in the same raspy unforgiving voice it had spoken in before hitting James.

"_Keep walking… you trust me don't you…? Why would I lead you wrong…?"_ The voice was speaking in her head again. Calming her, forcing her, to walk onward. _"Climb now, it's only a wall, climb."_

"Whoah…. What the hell?" James woke up a minute later, rubbing his head that had hit the wall, then jumping up in sudden remembrance, "LILY!" he started running toward the entrance hall, wand at the ready. Though he really could do nothing, every spell he thought off, in some way may hurt Lily, and that was something he did not want to do.

"_Higher! Go higher!"_ the clam voice was now becoming excited. _"Climb to the highest tower." _

"Lily! Stop! _No!_" James was running, Lily was already halfway up the north tower.

"I thought I was rid of you!" The raspy voice yelled.

"Lily! Listen to me! Focus! Hear me! I know you can! It's me! James!"

"James…" her voice singed through with dim realization, "Help! He's- Shut Up you silly little girl!" The raspy voice was returned, "This'll take care of you!"

Lily's eye's glowed red, and out of them, where her pupils would normally be, came hot red lava - balls. It hit James square in the chest and his shirt burst into flames. He fell to the floor screaming in pain at the flames that erupted on his chest and was now spreading steadily across his body.

"James! What's all the…?" Sirius stuck his head out the window of their dorm, and saw James writing on the ground in pain, and on fire.

"Remus! Peter! Go get Dumbledore! _Now_! James is on fire!" Sirius shouted, running to his trunk and grabbing his broomstick. The second they hear the two words fire and James, they were out of the dorm faster than a millisecond.

Sirius flew down to the ground next to James and performed a charm to allow water to flow out of his wand tip.

"You okay? What happened?" Sirius asked leaning over James.

"Lily!" James croaked. "Something, _someone's_, controlling her. Sirius, she's not herself."

"_Jump Lily! Now! You want the pain of the world to end, don't you? Jump."_ The words sounded like they were being whispered in her ear. Seductively. For a moment, her vision returned to her and she saw the entire grounds of Hogwarts. James and Sirius staring up at her.

"Help! Someone! _James!_"

Her vision faded. Everything was dark again. She could only hear that voice again. That seductive, suicidal voice. She knew what was coming, the end.

"_Jumping isn't so hard. It's almost like flying. I'm sure it wouldn't even hurt, you might loose all feeling before you hit the ground. Fly Lily! Fly!"_

"No! I can't! James, Rin, everyone. Temptation is strong, but not giving in is stronger!" Lily told herself.

"_Jump! Now!"_

"No! I won't! Go away!" James faintly heard Lily yell. He had been holding on to consciousness for as long as possible. He was not going to leave Lily!

"_You're fighting is futile! Evil will prevail!"_

"No! I refuse! Leave me alone!"

"_I will if you jump!"_

"NEVER!" Lily felt like her mind was splitting into two separate pieces. If she didn't stop this soon, her mind might be permanently damaged.

"_GO_ _AWAY!_" Lily screamed and not only did her vision (which was very blurred from half being controlled and in control) her hearing went and all feeling left her mind, body, and soul.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16, The Aftermath

Her entire life. Meeting Rin, and Scarlet. Watching her life through Hogwarts grow. Watching her snap at people. Make fun of people. Defending people. Hurting James, and his never ending attempts. Her finally giving in.

"I hate me," Lily said miserably. She couldn't stop the words from coming. Every time she thought of how bad she was to people, she couldn't help but feel as if her spirit had broken. Shattered into a million pieces.

Usually after some sleep the next morning, she would be back to normal. A little less perky, but still the same. This time though, there was no time to sleep. There was no time to rest. She had to get out of this now.

Then she started to imagine her grades. All 100, and her friends faces. Scarlet's still made Lily feel guilty, but she had to push through. _She was going to push through_.

They were laughing. Rin seemed to be chasing Sirius around. Madam Pomfrey was trying to get them out. Remus and Peter were cheering on Sirius. James was yelling to Sirius to toss him the shoe. Sirius tossed it to James, and it hit Lily square in the head.

"Ow! Hey, is that anyway to treat someone who's just been battling against Voldemort here!" Lily yelled, smiling slightly.

"Lily! You're awake! Yes! My shoe!" Rin yelled, pulling Sirius on the floor by his leg and gripping the shoe.

"How are you feeling Lily?" Remus asked kindly.

"My brain hurts like hell, but other than that I'm perfectly okay."

Everyone grinned. "Get out! Out! And never come back unless you have an injury! I've had enough of these monkeys running around my ward as if it were a play ground." Madam Pomfrey was screaming at them.

"I'll come back later, if I stay my gut's might be what this floor will be washed with next," James told Lily, leaning down and kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"See you!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17, Awakened

"Lily! We were so worried! Don't _ever_ do that again!" Rin was yelling, clutching Lily as if she would vanish from the spot if she removed her arms from around Lily. They were just let back into the infirmary, but Madam Pomfrey was really against it. It took a lot of persuading to even get with ten feet of the infirmary.

"Crushing…. Can't breath…. Help…." Lily gasped.

"Sorry." Rin said, removing her arms from around her. "But seriously, _don't ever do that again_."

"Okay, okay, I won't. Where's James?"

"Here is James," James said poking his head out from under the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, at least I'm awake," replied Lily. "Now, can you tell me why you're under my bed?"

"I'm going to find where Sirius and Remus and Peter went to, I could have sworn the were right behind me," Rin interjected, thinking that they might want to be alone.

"Well, I heard that if you go under something that a girl is on you can see her underpants." James started laughing.

"You pervert!" Lily yelled.

"What it was a joke, I was looking for a wiggly tile."

"Why?"

"Because a wiggly tile is a sign that something is buried under it."

"Or it could just wiggle."

"Nah, this is a special wiggly tile, there's supposed to be some sort of portal into the future here. Apparently someone spilled an interesting combination of potion to cause a portal and - what?" Lily was looking at him as if he were some deranged old man asking for cheese to feed his non existent cat.

"Fine don't believe me! Hey, what's this?" James asked, moving his hand towards her hair.

"Huh? Ohhh…." and then she started laughing. "That had to be the cheesy-iest joke you've ever played."

James had pulled a galleon from behind her ear.

"But I still got you to laugh, didn't I?"

Lily was too busy laughing to reply. It wasn't that funny, but after everything she had gone through the past few days, it made everything seem funnier.

"So, you want to talk about what happened? Why you collapsed and everything?" James asked once she stopped laughing.

"Ehh… I got another message from Voldemort, asking to join him or suffer, said no, and found myself dreaming the dream of Harry and you dead. Then, next thing I knew, I was battling Voldemort's will power against mine. It was a huge mess. I think I may have to clean out my brain, it feels like everything's all smashed."

When she finished they both gave a chuckle.

"Still haven't lost your sense of humor I see."

"Yep!"

She was awful perky, James thought she should have been more worried about what happened.

"Aren't you at all worried of what this means?" James inquired.

"Yes, but after that all I can think of is being awake instead of trapped in a very, very, dark abyss. Besides, I already knew what it means. Voldemort's after me, he has always been. It's just that conflabbed dream I don't understand!"

James smirked, he didn't think he knew anyone with a stranger vocabulary than a pine apple with purple dots.

"I believe that I can help you with that dream, Miss Evans," the headmaster said as he walked in. "You see, the last time you had this very disturbing dream, I believed it to be a coincidence, or that you may have very well been predicting the future. This time though, there is no doubt. Miss Evans, this dream means that you are about to make a huge sacrifice to save the entire magical world."

This made Lily's jaw drop. What? How? Why? When?

"I believe that you were born during the winter solstice, am I correct?"

"Yes," she nodded, not knowing where this was going.

"Well, I was born during the summer solstice," James tried to help.

"There was a prophecy made a while ago that a dark lord will rise, and when two people born during the two solstices meet, they will create something that has a power that the dark lord will not know of, and neither will he. Until it is time."

When Dumbledore finished, Lily looked as if she were going to faint.

"Can I heard it?" she asked.

"No, I am afraid not, but you may not be the only wizarding couple it is referring to, there are also the Longbottoms and Prewits, both graduated, and both married. But those are the only ones in England. There are also many in America and the Middle East, Asia and China. Every place on this magnificently large planet, so you don't have to worry about whether or not this is about you. I must be going now, I've got a lot to oversee, and this castle is larger than you think. Hope to see our brightest student back in class soon." Dumbledore finished, and walked out.

"Oh, okay, thanks…." Lily was still a little dazed, and there was a long moment of silence broken by Sirius, Reamus, Rin and Peter, bounding through the door, all looking happier than when a gorilla gets a banana.

"Lily Billy! You're alive!"

"Sirius have you been eating sugar?" Lily asked playfully getting her usual spunk back.

"No actually, I think he's just been breathing." Rin answered for him.

"Nice to see you up and about Lily!" Remus bounded over and gave her a hug.

"Yeah," Peter squeaked from the back of the crowd.

"I'm not really up, I'm stuck sitting in this bed. Madam Pomfrey won't let me out." Lily pointed out bitterly.

"You really gave us a scare, climbing up the north tower in the middle of the night," Sirius said, as a look of surprise arose on her face.

"Yeah, you even shot these fireballs out of your palms, turned me into a nice camping fire," James added.

"Oh my god! I didn't- did I!" Lily looked back and forth at everyone, mostly at James.

"No, no, no, Madam Pomfrey fixed me up in a jiffy, you can barely see the burn marks anymore," James tried to console her, rubbing her back.

"God I hate this," Lily picked up her pillow and stuffed her face with it. "I'm so sorry!"

"If Remus hadn't gone to get Dumbledore last night with Peter, we would have been a lot worse off. You lost consciousness on the North Towers tip, and took a dive. If Dumbledore hadn't have performed that anti-gravity charm, you may have been dead," Rin told her sitting on her other side and putting an arm around her.

"What are all you doing in here! Get out! Out I say! This girl needs rest!" Madam Pomfrey saw them all gathered around Lily's bed. James smirked as he thought how wrong she was. Lily didn't need rest, Lily always hated rest. Only when it was bed time did she ever rest. Boundless energy, James admired it in her.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18, N. E. W. T. s

"Do you realize we should have been studying since the beginning of the year, don't you? These are supposed to make up our entire future! What jobs we have. What jobs we want. I mean, to be an Auror is like trying to become a - a - pigeon!"

"Lily! Relax! You're obsessing over when we should have started that you're taking up all the time," James told her. Trying to get her to calm down.

"Yeah Lil, they can't be that hard. They said that the O. W. L. s last year would be killer, and they weren't that bad. Were they?" Sirius tried to console.

"That's only because everyone was studying so hard that you just remembered it upon command. Plus, everything was like one big review," Lily shot back.

"Yes, well, either way, just study for a little. Besides you have a memory better than anyone I've every met. Who else can remember how to make a potion better than Snape? Who else can remember 10 different spells to make James here dangle from a ceiling. So just relax, you'll do fine," Rin finished, not looking up at Lily because she was trying so hard to understand her horrible handwriting.

"I guess you're right."

"We know we're right," Remus corrected, "Where'd Wormtail go? Shouldn't he be here trying to study a little too?"

"I don't know, maybe off to Hogsmede. He never was one for studying was he?" Sirius supplied.

"Ahhh… I could go for some of Honeyduke's famous chocolate," James said out of thin air. Everyone else was too busy to notice what he said, they were too busy catching up on studying by then.

With N. E. W. T. s just around the corner, no one was speaking during class. Everyone was paying rapt attention during classes, trying to get a tiny bit more knowledge in their brains.

"So, how does everyone think they did?" Rin bounded in happily and sat next to Sirius for lunch.

"Not too bad, at least I don't think I failed anything," Sirius responded. "Peter here, I don't think was lucky enough though."

"I had to leave 10 questions unanswered, and 2 essays incomplete. Then on the demonstrating part, I made my bowl explode, but only after turning it into a steadily growing mushroom," Peter supplied. Everyone was laughing.

"Remus?"

"Fair, that essay on werewolves was particularly tough. I didn't think I was going to be able to answer it."

"You too!" Peter interjected.

"Wormtail, you're thicker than a tree trunk fifty miles long. You know that?" Sirius pointed out.

"Hey guys, what's for lunch, I'm starved." Lily just walked through the door, and sat next to Remus.

"Nothing special, how do you think you did on the exams?" Remus asked her.

"Eh… they were a lot easier than I expected them to be. Like question 19 c, I thought that had to be the easiest question ever. 'Name the ten different species of nargles and explain, in depth, what is so different about them.'"

"Are you kidding, I only thought there were two!" James had walked in during Lily's analysis of the test.

"Seriously! How? They're so easy to remember! There are flinky's and gihd, and msdh. You can't forget freter, and vede, and- "

"I really don't care Lily, taking the test was hard enough once. Twice I think I'll go insane," James said, cutting Lily off.

"But I like it when you go insane. You get all puffy and pink," Lily pouted.

"Really?"

"No, but I like to think that."

"You are the strangest person I've ever met," James could help but grin.

"Ahh… but you still love me, don't you?" Lily smiled widely, looking like a two year old who just put a pie in her fathers face, and was trying to get out of punishment.

"You bet!" and James kissed her.

"Hello? People," Lily muttered.

"So."

"Well, I'm not really fond of the whole PDA thing, Lily pointed out.

"Err… PDA?"

"Public Display of Affection, Sirius," Rin supplied.

"Fine, I can still hold your hand, can't I?" James asked hopefully.

"Si, sir-e," Lily said in a sing - song voice. " I gotta get going, they had to cancel our first test because one of the supervisors went missing, but they're back now. Off to Ancient Ruins! Yummy!"

"Um, does she always enjoy taking tests?" Peter asked, looking shocked.

"Hey, what can I say? She's one of a kind," Rin answered.

"Oh, I forgot to ask Lily something! See you later!" James sprinted out of the Great Hall.

"Lily! Hold on a second," James ran up to her.

"Yes?" she asked impatiently.

"Can you meet me by the Quidditch Pitch after class?"

"Oh, honestly, it couldn't have waited? Yes, yes, I'll be there. Bye," Lily had a tone in her voice saying quite clearly that 'if you make me late for this final exam, I will kill you.'

"Have fun!" James shouted running to the lake for some rest.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19, I'm Going to Tell

"I'm going to tell her," James said excitedly, as the rest of the Marderer's came to sit down next to him.

"Tell who, what Prongs?" Reamus asked.

"Tell Lily that I love her, dear old Moony."

"What? Why? Prongs you're going to make me look bad, Rin'll be expecting now. You're going to start a trend!" Sirius hissed.

"So, not my problem."

"How do you plan on telling her?" Peter asked from Remus's other side.

"Simple, we're going flying, and then I think I'll tell her then. I don't know, I go with the flow, I don't plan."

"Yeah, James, but you might want to be careful. She scares very easily. If I were you, I'd probably go for it on the ground that way if she freaks, at least she's not fifty feet up in the air."

"Good point Moony, but don't worry, It'll be fine. After all, I've got the magnificent Potter charm, don't I?"

"Ahh… but you're forgetting one thing. 'The magnificent Potter charm' doesn't work around Lily."

"Like I said, I go with the flow. Besides, what's the worst that'll happen is she doesn't say it back. I gotta go. Her class will be out soon. Bye, and if I find any of you eavesdropping, well let's just say that what I did to Sirius when he stole Lily's clothes will look like nothing."

As James started walking back, Sirius got up and looked at James walking. When he was convinced that he was far enough away, he pulled out James's invisibility cloak.

"Padfoot! Where did you get that?"

"James, duh, who else Moony. Wanna come?"

"Nah, I prefer to heed James's warnings. It's your neck on the line, not mine," Remus said.

"Peter?"

"Yeah," he squeaked and hurried under the cloak.

"Bye Moony! Here we come Prongsie- Poo!" Remus heard Sirius say from under the cloak with a devious smirk in his voice.

"Wait! Fine, I'll come. But we better not be caught!" Reamus said, jumping under the cloak.

"So what are we doing? Lily asked James walking over to the broomshed.

"Going to Wisconsin for some good cheese," he answered simply.

"Really, can we get there any other way beside broomstick? I really don't like them."

"Uh, Lily, I was joking," James snickered.

"Oh… so then why are we going to the broom shed?"

"For a broom."

"Why?"

"Because we're going flying."

"But I really don't like flying James. Can't we just stay here on the nice, solid ground?" Lily begged.

"Nope."

"But-"

"Lily, do you honestly think that I would let anything happen to you? After all, I am one of the best Quidditch players this school has ever seen."

"No, but-"

"What's that?" James pointed at the end of the field. When Lily turned, James hopped on his broomstick.

"I don't see any- James!"

James had just scooped Lily onto the broom and held her tight.

"See it's not that bad is it?"

"Yes it is, could we slow down?" Lily was gripping the broom so tight that her knuckles were turning whiter than the moon.

"Yeah, sure," James pulled back on the broomstick.

"Well that's better," and Lily leaned back into James.

They were both staring at the moon overhead.

"James, you think we could land somewhere? My butt is starting to hurt."

"Yeah, I've never actually sat on a broom before, and I don't think my butt has hurt this much ever." James started flying over to one of the castles towers.

When they landed on the tower, Lily got carefully off, whereas James just jumped off and sat down.

"Ahh, that's better…," Lily heard James sigh. "Only one thing could make this better."

"What's that?" Lily asked, walking to James slowly and sitting next to him on the roof.

"This."

James picked her up and placed her on his lap and hugged her. They stayed like that for who knows how long. Staring at the stars, and pointing out constellations.

"Lily," James said after a long moment of silence.

"Hum?" she was almost asleep.

"I've been wanting to say this from this first time I meant you. Err…. I - I-"

"Yes James?"

"I love you," he said it so quietly she could barely hear him.

"I love you too," she said back. It was the first time she ever really said it and meant it. She always avoided saying that word if it wasn't referring to a friendship type of love. It was strange how easy they came, but nonetheless, liked how it sounded.

"We should be getting back."

"No, let's just stay a little longer," Lily begged.

"Sure, James said wrapping his arms around her a little tighter.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20, Planning

James had dropped her into her room at window.

"Good night," and James pulled his broomstick up, so that their lips had connected. Lily didn't think that she had to worry about the other girls looking because it was well past midnight.

"Night," she said smiling.

_He said he loved me! Me!_ Was the only thought going through Lily's mind as she got into bed.

"So, what happened last night?" Rin asked Lily at breakfast.

"Nothing special. We went flying, he said 'I love you', pulled an Alladin when he dropped me off," answered Lily, taking another bite of her toast.

"Woah- woah- woah- rewind and freeze. He said he loved you!" Rin exclaimed a little too loudly.

"Yep," Lily just couldn't help herself grinning.

"Awwww…."

"Egh!" anytime anyone said 'Awww…' Lily wanted to hurl.

"So…."

"So what?" Lily didn't really like to talk about dates; to her they seemed sort of personal.

"What happened next?"

"A lot of mush, can we change to some other subject?"

"Why?"

"Because, talking about how a date went seems sort of desperate, even if you have a boyfriend already. I don't mean to offend anyone though, but that's just the way I think."

Rin got upset; she was always a tad touchy. Jealous too, because Sirius hadn't yet said that he loved her.

"Ohhh… quit your complaining."

"What's Rinny complaining about?" Sirius asked sitting down next to her.

"Nothing."

"Hey," James said coming in and sitting next to Lily.

"Hi. Well, I'd better be going, I've got that graduation speech to write. I'll be somewhere if you need me." Lily gave James a quick kiss and walked out of the door.

Graduation was in three weeks, and James had something very special planned for graduation. All he needed was Sirius's, Remus's and Peter's help to perform it.

"Hey guys, I've got something that I need your help with."

"Sure Prongs, anything," answer Sirius.

"It'll be tricky, and will need excellent timing."

"You're forgetting who we are," Remus joked.

"Great, then let's get cracking!"

"What are we cracking?" Peter asked in his stupid manner.

"You'll see…." James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, all left the Great Hall.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21, Graduation

It was strange how fast the last few weeks left of Hogwarts had gone. One day they were all sitting down at breakfast, and the next, having their last. It was a mournful day, and the weather seemed to agree too because it was raining harder than ever.

Every person in seventh year was reminiscing over the good ol' times. Unsure of what their future would hold. Some were unwilling to accept that their time at Hogwarts was up.

It was their home. Memories were made here. Friendships had begun. Now that it was going, how could they be sure that the bonds they made were strong enough to stick?

"When we came here, we were worried about how we would do. We were worried about leaving our families behind to pursue an education we could receive no other place. We were worried if we had to share rooms with people who we didn't like, or were too noisy when they slept. That first day at Hogwarts, we were all joined by something. Fear, uncertainty, worry, and classes. That's exactly what we are joined by again. Fear, uncertainty, worry, but instead of classes, the future."

Lily was at the front with James by her side. The Head Boy and Girl gave speeches every year to their graduating class. Students were lined up by houses. Tables of gold and scarlet for Gryffindor, Black and white for Ravenclaw. Green and silver for Slytherin, and blue and purple for Hufflepuff.

"The future is what we make of it, nothing more, nothing less. Try and you will succeed, don't try and you won't. Though, not all failures end up in disasters. Sometimes failing makes you a better person. A person you never realized you could be.

"While times here make up who we are, there is still a lot to learn about who we truly are. Memories shaped who we are now, but what about memories you want to happen?"

When Lily finished, which was in about 2 two 3 more minutes more, she moved back and let James take the stand. His was short, but at least it made sense.

"Like Lily said, we never know who we truly are until we _try_ to understand ourselves. Sit down and think about who you are. Right now if you want. Think so hard that your brain starts to cramp," some people here started to chuckle.

"That's what life's journey is, isn't it? Finding who you are, and never denying it. Now, I know who I am, one of the infamous members of the Marauder's. So who am I to let something as big as this go without something to remember us by? Padfoot!"

Sirius got up and ran to the back of the crowd, where the tables ended.

"Moony!"

"James! What're you doing?" Lily hissed as Remus went running to a large trunk that was located in between the two center tables.

"You'll see, Wormtail!"

Peter, slow as he may be, stuck his wand into the air and said a few words. He must have been practicing for ages because the sky around them went immediately black.

Some of the teachers looked alarmed, but since Dumbledore was not doing anything to stop it, the teachers just sat back and watched with anticipation for what seemed to be the last joke the Marauder's would ever pull at Hogwarts again.

"Look up and be amazed!" James shouted.

It was so quite that even when Remus muttered the spell form a long way away, Lily still heard the words correctly.

The trunk flew open, and what seemed to be thousands of glowing flowers flew out of the trunk. From what Lily could see in the dim light that was left, James was levitating the flowers and Sirius was the one making them glow.

Slowly the flowers started to spell out something in beautiful calligraphy.

'Lily, will you marry me?" it said.

"So?"

"YES! Yes!" Lily was definitely expecting something like slime to come pouring out of the box and cover the entire crowd, but a proposal was definitely out of the question. Lily flung her arms around James and he twirled her.

"All you have to do now is find the ring," James joked holding out his balled fists.

"Umm… left one?"

"You're lucky I decided to change it to opposite day, otherwise you would have gotten a face full of frog spawn."

Lily laughed, she would never forget today. They both wouldn't forget today, and from the looks of it, no one else surrounded in the dark dome would either.

Lily was hit with something cold, and wet, sludgy, and green.

"What the…?"

"Padfoot!" James yelled.

"Yeah mate?" Sirius yelled from the back, as the dark dome was lifting form around them.

"Did you just throw slime at us?" James yelled.

"Not just you mate!" Sirius answered gleefully. Which was indeed the truth, because everyone around them was covered in slime, including the teachers.

"And why, per say, did you do this?"

"Well, it was getting to much to handle, not that I'm not happy for you too, but I was about ready to puke."

"Rin! I hope you know what you're getting into with him!" Lily yelled, she and James were walking down to the Gryffindor house table as the teachers continued on, very uncomfortably now that they were covered in slime, with the ceremony.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22, Moving On

"You have everything dear?" asked Mrs. Sugarsweets when they were unloading. When Lily's parents died, Rin had told her that she could stay at her parents house until she could find a place of her own.

"Yes, I think so," answered Lily looking at everything.

"Can you believe that we get to use magic this summer?" Rin was saying excitedly.

"Yeah, how cool is that?" Lily agreed.

"How cool is what?" James wrapped his arms around Lily.

"We get to use magic this summer," Lily supplied for him. "You realize that every time we've begun a conversation, you always start with a question."

"No, but now I have," James kissed her on the cheek.

"Where's Sirius?" Rin asked looking around, but a pair of hand covered up her eyes and asked," Guess who?"

"Hummm…. You know, I have no idea who it could be," Rin said playfully spinning around and finding Sirius there.

"Can you come over here for a second with me Rin?" Sirius asked nervously.

"Sure…," Rin replied as she followed Sirius with a bewildered expression on her face until they were out of sight, and earshot.

"So…. I'll be staying at Rin's until I can find a place or the wedding," Lily told James giving him the address so he could come over once in a while to make the wedding arrangements.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, we don't have to worry about finding a place to stay after we're married because my Uncle Albert and his wife Georgina are moving away, and they're thinking of selling it to us."

"That's great! Where is it?"

"I'll show you it later, but it's perfect. I have to go, my parents are getting impatient."

With a hug and a kiss they both went in their different directions. James to his parents and Lily to Rin, who was sporting a huge smile, and her parents.

"What's with the smile?" Lily asked her quietly, as they walked behind Mr. and Mrs. Sugarsweets.

"Tell you later," Rin muttered, and walked faster to catch up with her parents so that she wouldn't loose them in the crowd.

Rin's house was huge! There was no other word for it. Just from the outside you could see that there was at least 7 stories to it, who knows what could be hiding underground.

"This isn't a house, this is a castle," Lily told Rin walking through the front door, into a marble floored room, filled with golden light, and a staircase that went for what seemed like ages. Rin's parents went straight down the hall, into the kitchen.

"I know. I dispise it, but the secret passageways are fun," Rin told Lily, picking up her own bag and starting to haul everything up the stairs. "Our rooms are on the top floor, so if you want to get there before dinner, you might want to start now."

Lily didn't take Rin's advice for granted and started heaving her bags up the stairs.

It took them a good thirty minutes before they reached their rooms, but they managed it.

"Where are James and Sirius when you need them?" Rin asked.

"Oh no, I just remembered! We could have used magic!" Lily pointed out. "We're not the brightest bulb in the pack are we?"

"I guess not," agreed Rin, looking downcast.

"Ahh well, this is only the beginning, there'll be plenty more times to use magic in life," Lily perked up. "So, do we have to walk all these stairs again, or is there an almighty cool passage that can get us down faster?" Lily asked, walking out the door, to the gorgeously decorated hallway.

"Right… here!" Rin poked the wall with her finger in a spot that had the smallest purple dot over the white surface. Rin's mother had tried to remove it, she even painted over it, but no matter how hard she tried, she could get it to leave.

Within seconds of touching the wall, it moved to show an opening that looked like the beginning to a slide.

"You first, m'lady," and Rin pushed Lily down it. She slid and tossed, and turned, and tumbled down the seven story slide that she couldn't tell when she reached the bottom until something spattered her out of another hole in the wall, closely followed by Rin.

"Woah! We're back on the first floor! In less than ten seconds flat too!" Lily said amazed. Getting up and walking into the kitchen. She didn't know where it was, but she was following the smell of really delicious chicken.

"Yum! Spoogle!" Lily said, walking into the kitchen.

"Er…. Spoogle?" Rin's mother asked politely.

"Chicken, more precisely the type of chicken found in the West Indies," Lily supplied, helping Rin set the table.

"Really now?"

"No, I made it up just now off the top of my head actually. I don't even know what a spoogle is, but I'm calling it chicken from now on," Lily smiled, as Mr. Sugarsweets put the 'spoogle' on the table and everyone sat down at the table, like on happy family.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23, Girls Just Want To Have Fun

"You never told me why you were so happy at the train station, Rin?"

It was past midnight, but they were having fun, pretending to have a sleep over.

"Oh, that," Rin started smiling again, except that it was one of those smiles that you try to hide. "Sirius just told me that he _loves_ _me_!" She got really loud and squeaky at the last few words, then both of them broke out into giggles.

"That's so great! You're perfect together!" Lily exclaimed jumping up and down on her bed. Usually Lily would have been self conscious of the fact that she was acting so much like on of those girls that you see in the movies, but it was only Rin, and she knew that she wouldn't get weird at how much of a girl she was being. And, she really didn't think that she was paying any attention to Lily's behavior because a dreamy complexion had taken over her entire face. It was the look that she always got when she thought of Sirius.

Rin told Lily all about how he told her, and then managed to convince Lily to give her details on that night that James had told Lily (it took Rin nearly an hour to get Lily to talk, but she thought it was worth the wait.)

After a long while of being quiet, Rin asked, "Lil, do you think that after you've moved, we'll loose touch?"

"I don't know, that depends on where we're going, I guess. Why?" Lily answered thoughtfully. She had stopped jumping on her bed and was now lying on her side, facing Rin.

"Because I've read about people who used to be the best of friends, and when they get older they loose touch. Not just read actually. I've lived it too, and everyone else. No one's as close as they used to be anymore. My uncle Albert, he used to be best friends with Clemelc Vincent, and they just stopped talking after they left school. What if that happens to us?" Rin confided to Lily.

"It's not, we're too good of friends to let that happen. The only way that our friendship will die is if one of us die. And neither of us are going to die for a long time," she said it with so much confidence that you couldn't help but believe it.

"You're right… I'm just fretting over non-sense."

"Fretting…?"

"Yes, fretting…. You have a problem with the way I speak," Rin said playfully.

"Nopy- mopey- dopy."

"Let's go for a swim!" Rin yelled out of thin air.

"At 2 o'clock in the morning?" Lily pointed out dumbfounded as Rin jumped out of her bed and grabbed her swimming suit.

"Yeah! Nothing better than a morning dip to awaken the senses! C'mon!" Rin pushed Lily out the door, and into her room before leaving to change into her swimsuit in her room across the hall.

Lily walked to her drawer and pulled out a strange purple and brown swimsuit, grinning. _2 o'clock in the morning! What _is_ she thinking!_

Lily walked out, only to be startled by Rin, waiting just outside her door. Lily screamed and cringed a little, then started laughing.

"Don't _do_ that!" Lily scolded her, while Rin said, "Shhh…. You might wake up mum and dad!"

"Why haven't they heard all the noise we've been making these past few hours anyway?"

"Simple, they're on the floor underneath us. They have the whole fourth floor to themselves. I have no idea what they do in that whole fourth floor, and I really don't want to know."

"Where is this pool?"

"My, my, filled with all sorts of questions tonight, aren't we?" Rin giggled. "It's in the basement, the second basement. The first one is the game room."

"Ahhh…. How do we get to the second basement? I don't recall seeing a way to get anywhere passed the first floor.

"There's a way. You just can't find it if you don't know where it is!" Rin yelled as they started to slide down to the first floor.

Rin led Lily to the center of the foyer, and placed her palm upon the ground, then said, "Gary meet Floyd, Floyd meet Winston, and Winston meet Keith."

With those strange greetings, the ground came open, swirling around and around to form a huge gap in the center of the foyer.

"C'mon, be prepared to stop suddenly."

Rin told Lily, grabbing her hand and jumping in. Lily was prepared to hit water, but instead she landed in a nice fluffy box of towels.

"Like? I put them there specially so no one breaks their backs coming in." Lily had never seem Rin smile so much in her life. It seemed nothing could bring her down at the moment.

"Definitely! Only problem is, I can't get my bloody self out!" Lily said laughing, trying to tumble out.

"Like this." Rin threw her leg over the other, and twisted her entire side, so that she would fall face down on the floor.

"Or like this," and Lily turned herself, and tried to move but nothing happened. "How come that always works in the movies? A hand please."

"Sure, I've got ten, no wait, I _want_ ten, I've only got two," Rin answered grasping Lily's hands and pulling her up.

"Thanks, last one in is a Spoogle - butt!" Lily yelled running to the water slide.

"On the count of three! One - dos- "Nice mix on Spanish and English," Lily said, receiving a huge smile and a nod thirty!" Rin yelled.

Lily, slid down the slide, and then just as she was about to break water, realized something.

"Thirty!" Lily yelled at Rin, who was laughing, when she broke water.

"Si! And you fell for it!" She didn't seem like she could stop laughing. Lily pulled herself out of the pool, and walked over to Rin, who was laughing on the floor.

"You know, it wasn't _that_ funny!" Lily said, smiling a little herself too.

When Rin's laughter subsided, she stood up and walked to the edge of the pool, and prepared to dive, when Lily pushed the small of her back and she completely fell in.

"Lily! What was that for?"

"Revenge, sweet- sweet revenge," Lily rubbed her hands together devilishly, and jumped in. Rin didn't much enjoy getting splashed. So she splashed Lily. Lily, who didn't like being splashed anymore than Rin did, started splashing too. The nest thing they knew they were throwing gallons of water at each other.

After a while of splashing water, they both swam over to separate ends of the pools.

"It echo's in here!" Lily shouted, hearing the word 'here' in various decibels around the pool area.

"Echo!" Rin shouted, getting the same sort of repetition as Lily did.

They were both very out of breath from the splashing, so they just talked for a while. About James and Sirius.

"Do you think about him in that sense though?" Rin asked Lily.

"What sense?"

"Like the 'beyond kissing sense," Rin explained.

"Ohhh…" and expression of understanding came onto her face with a blush so strong the water around her was reflecting that shade. "Um…. Well…. It's…. I can't…. I - nevermind. Do you?"

Lily tried to stop herself from thinking about James in that way, but whenever she though of him, she could stop. Her mind was roaming, and it sort of felt wrong and yet strangely satisfying. Not that she loved thinking that way about him. Given a choice, she would have stopped at kissing in a heart beat.

"I've only once. But that was in a dream, quite creepy really."

"Yes, but is he in your dreams every single night?"

"No, not really, why?"

"Because James is," Lily finished quietly.

Rin giggled, as Lily pulled herself out of the pool and went to the diving board.

"I wish they'd stop, they're sort of annoying. I mean, once I dreamed I'd killed my mum and he was standing in the background just watching. It's very hard to try and kill your mum when the man you love is standing in the corner looking," Lily sucked in a deep breath and dived under in a perfect ark.

"Killing your mum?" Rin asked as Lily came up to the surface.

"Hey, in my defense she was trying to kill me first!" Lily became defensive very quickly, especially with things that concerned her subconscious.

"Sure, sure. Let's race!" Rin said with far too much enthusiasm for someone who was awake at four in the morning.

They raced about ten times before deciding to take a shower and try to sleep a little.

"How do we get up, if we fell through a hole in the ceiling?"

"Lily, Lily Lily, haven't you learned by now that there's a little invention called a mechanical elevator?" Rin grinned and walked to a box that could have fit all four marauders and their lunches, times two, standing up.

"Holy hell!" Lily exclaimed walking into the elevator, Rin following.

"Yeah, pretty roomy," Rin said, pulling on one of the two ropes that pulled the cart up. She consulted the little list on the left wall, to tell her where the shower rooms were.

"Ahh… right, third floor, showers! Here we come!"

"Rin."

"Yes my little chick- a - dee?"

"You're too perky right now," Lily said giggling.

The rest of the ride was silent. When they reached the third floor, Lily found an extremely white hallway. There were at least thirty doors on one side, all reading 'UNOCCUPIED', and bathroom things (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste) across from each of the doors for anyone who may have forgotten anything.

When Lily opened the one of the doors, which currently read 'UNOCCUPIED' the words changed to 'TAKEN BY LILY EVANS, GUEST IN ROOM 30.'

"Geeze Rin? This place is so… organized," Lily said in an awe. She liked things organized, but this was too much for her. When Rin opened her door, she found that the sigh changed from it's 'UNOCCUPIED' to 'TAKEN BY CHATHERINE SUGARWEETS HEIR TO SUGARSWEETS MANSION.'

When they finished their showers, and changed back into their pajama's, they got comphy in another guest bedroom, so that they could talk some more. The walls in this guest bedroom, opened up entirely, so that you could turn it into one happy room for a party or something.

Lily and Rin pushed both beds together in the center, where the wall would have been and spent the entire rest of the night talking away everything that they never could have said in Hogwarts because you never know who might have been listening. It seemed everything in that school had ears, and mouths.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24, First Day of Freedom

"You must have been very tired," Rin's mother pointed out at when they woke up just in time for lunch.

"More than tired Mrs. Sugarsweets," Lily said, once the sunlight hit her eyes, she woke up very fast.

"Well, next time you know not to go to sleep that late, or rather early," Mr. Sugarsweets smiled looking up from the Daily Prophet.

"Yes, yes, yes, what are we eating?" Rin sat down, still a little sleepy.

"Food," Rin told her.

"Besides food," Rin said over Lily's chuckle.

"I thought it would be nice to make a pizza, one of those muggle foods. You aunt, Cassandra, gave one to me two Christmas's ago and I never used it."

"Cheesy!" Lily and Rin said together, then broke out laughing.

After lunch, Lily and Rin went to get ready. They decided to go to the ministry of magic and get an appointment for their apparation tests.

When Lily was ready, she walked to Rin's door and knocked, loudly. She just got a muffled "Go away."

"Rin! Come on! You're supposed to be getting ready!" Lily yelled through the door, turning the knob, and finding Rin lying on her bed face down.

"I'm too tired," Rin complained.

"You were just alive a minute ago, during lunch!" Lily pointed out.

"I know, but food makes me sleepy."

"Well, can't you just get up and come with me," Lily pleaded. "We're not even doing anything strenuous, like taking the test anyway, we're just signing up to take. Please…."

"Fine, fine. I might as well sign up for my classes to be a curse breaker for Grignotts. I knew Ancient Runes would come in handy for something," Rin mumbled crossing her room and starting to get ready.  
"See you in a little, Lily."

"If you're not down there in a half hour, I'm coming to make sure that you haven't fallen asleep again, okay?"

"Fine, fine. Sure…." Rin answered closing the door behind Lily.

Rin managed to walk down the stairs, slowly, exactly when a half hour was up. They decided to take the night bus into London, and managed to make it to the Ministry of Magic at 4 o'clock. Signing up for their classes and apperation test was hard. Lily decided to take the apperation test on the 9th with Rin. Then she signed up for fall and winter classes for her first year of Auror training. Rin signed up for her curse breaking courses, that should only last for a year.

When they were finished they decided to get some muggle ice cream from the ice cream parlor down the street.

"So, what are you and James planning on doing now that you're out of school. Besides getting married," Rin added that obvious note.

"I think James is signing up to be an Auror too, but I'm not sure. I think he also wants to be a Healer. What about Sirius?"

"Sirius has no idea what he's doing. He said he might start a school where he can teach other innocent kids to break the rules," they both gave a chuckle at this.

"This is good though, Remus says he's going to open a book shop if the Ministry'll let him."

"I hope they do. He's one of the smartest in our year. I thought he was a shoe in for Head Boy this year, not James."

"Yeah, well I doubt that'll happen," a sour look began to form on Rin face, "I hear that they've accepted a new witch into the Ministry, and she's been working hard on limiting 'part - humans' and their rights. If Remus doesn't hurry, he might not be able to find any work at all," Rin got up and threw away her napkin.

"All this prejudice, no one accepts anyone for who they are anymore, do they?" Lily followed Rin out the door. "It's a damn pity, but Remus is smart, he'll figure something out."

"Yeah…. What happened to Peter?" Lily asked, finishing the Remus subject.

"Well, I think that he went to live with his mother. At the moment he doesn't seem to think that anyone wants to employ him."

"Well, let's just hope he finds something to do. He's not really good at anything is he?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Rin agreed as Lily stuck out her wand and summoned the Night Bus.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25, Planning

Lily thought that she could never, ever, have been this excited ove3r a wedding. Though it was all excitement coursing though her veins, it was nerves too. After she said those two words, everyone knew what was after that. It sort of spooked her a little.

"Rin! Can you come, I need some help!" Lily yelled down the hall from her room.

"Coming!" Rin yelled, walking into her room. "What?"

"Which one is nicer, Daffodils or Roses?" Lily asked holding up a picture of each.

"Roses."

"What color?"

How about a little of each? One color makes everything bland," Rin tried to help, sitting on her bed.

"That sounds good," Lily agreed, marking it down on her paper. "Weddings are too much work."

"Yeah. Shouldn't James be here?" Rin asked looking around the room.

"Yes, but he's in class. He decided to take his Auror train in the spring and some Healer training in the fall, so that he didn't close all his options," Lily supplied.

"Ohhh…."

"He's coming over tonight to help a little. I decided to let him book the band, and invite the people. The guest list we have to work on together though."

"Ohhh…. Is that all, because I've got a final to study for?" Rin asked getting up.

"Yeah, I just needed help with the flowers then I'm studying all night too. Have fun!" Lily told Rin, closing the door behind her.

Lily still couldn't believe that it had been almost a year since James proposed to her. She was finishing up her first year of Auror training and deciding on a few small things for the wedding.

The door bell rang around 7 o'clock, and James was let inside by Lily.

"Hey," James gave Lily a kiss and a hug. "I've got this really cool band. My Uncle Marty knows them. They're this really cool Finnish band, that has this really original sound," James announced following Lily into the kitchen, where she laid out a few things for them to look over.

"Who are they?"

"Er… The Rasmus."

"Wait. I've heard of them. Aren't they a muggle group?" Lily looked at him quizzically.

"Well, yes. But I thought that they were pretty good, and I know that you would like them," James tried to persuade her.

"I think I would too, but they're not exactly the wedding type of band," Lily said nicely.

"I know, I told him we were still looking, so I never made anything final. What about that new wizarding group. What are they called? The Fairies…? The Pixies…?"

"You mean The Harpies?" Lily supplied helpfully.

"Yeah! I heard that they can imitate pretty much any song, muggle or wizarding."

"They sound good. That way we can have all the bands we like to play!" Lily smiled, and they started working on the guest list. Lily wasn't keen on big things. She liked small things. Small houses, small parties. Big things tended to go on for ages.

"So… where is everybody?" James asked Lily, moving a little closer to her.

"Out at dinner. Rin finally decided to introduce them to Sirius," Lily told him, as he snuck his arms around her waist.

"Ohhh…. That's why Sirius was making himself look presentable. You know, he was actually thinking of cutting his hair?" James said kissing her.

"Really?" Lily said in between his kisses. "Never would have thought he think that."

"Neither did I."

James always had a strange way of talking to Lily that made her want to do things that she normally wouldn't. "Do you want to give me a tour? This place is huge, someone could get lost."

"Tour. Yeah, okay." Lily got up and walked hand in hand through the kitchen door. She started at the first floor and made her way up.

"And this is Rin's room," Lily opened her door just a little for him to gt a peek, "And here is mine."

She walked in it and stood in the middle, "A little messy, I know, but it's home. Or as close to home as it can get."

"Well I like it," James told her sitting on the bed and pulling her to him.

"You know, my mum would be screaming bloody murder at me about now," Lily joked sitting on his lap as he stroked her hair.

"Umm…"

"Well, let's get back, we've still got a lot more planning to do still," Lily got up slowly. She really didn't want to leave, but Rin and her parents would be home at 10 and it was already 9:45.

"Yeah, okay," a put out James agreed, following Lily out the door.

"So just friends and family, that's it right?" James asked after 15 minutes of discussing it.

"Yep, so it's: Sirius, Rin, your mom and dad, Remus, Peter, Mr. and Mrs. Sugarsweets, Dumbledore, Petunia and her husband, and Snape. So far," Lily recited, reading off the sheet of paper that held all the guest's names.

"Ye- wait! _Snivellus?_" James looked puzzled.

"Ha! Got you!" Lily smiled like a two year old. "Why would I invite Snape? To have you and Sirius ruin everything?"

"You have a point there. Bet you he's a Death Eater by now," James muttered.

"Hey! That's not nice. He may know a lot about the dark arts, but sometimes people are deceiving. Like I never would have guessed that you would end up getting married. Let alone to me. Or that Sirius would stop being a player."

"That's different," James pointed out.

"How?"

"Because- because- he's Snape." James said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's the same reason you gave for turning him upside down in fifth year," Lily pointed out.

"Fine, he's a Slytherin," James tried.

"If he was a Slytherin then why did you save him in sixth year? Come on, I know deep down that you really do have some respect for the man," Lily pushed.

"Nope," James said simply.

"Fine, but hatred can be a really strong bond. Look at where we are after all."

"I've got to go, Healer training starts in a few weeks and I need to get my books. Bye," James got up and kissed her quickly before leaving.

"Bye!" Lily shouted at the door.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26, Two Years Later

With Auror training ending, and only a few months until the wedding, Lily hadn't had any time to herself. She had her vows already written out and she and James had picked out their song together. All that Lily needed was a wedding dress, and then everything will have been finished.

"What about that dress that I picked out in Hogsmede. The one I had you mode with James?" Rin asked hopefully.

"Maybe, do you think we could turn it white?" Lily asked.

"I don't think so. The material is thin, so anything underneath will show."

"Hum? Maybe… no."

"No what?"

"Nevermind."

"Nevermind what Rin?"

"We could have you wrapped in something that looks like a toga?" Rin said doubtfully.

"Nope, that doesn't even match the rest of it," Lily laughed at the idea of a toga.

"I know, that's why I shot it down. Let's see…. Hand me that peice of fabric," Rin ordered.

"This?"

"Yeah, and stand on that stool," Rin pointed to a stool sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by four mirrors on the side.

They were in the first floor of Rin's house, and Lily decided that Rin should make her dress. After all, Rin still kept her Margaret dolls, form when she was two, and had been designing since she was three.

"I've been trying to figure out exactly what to do with this one for ten years now, and I finally got it!" Rin ran to the cabinet on the other side of the room, wrenched it open, and found a dusty folder. "Yes…." She opened the folder carefully and looked inside, an expression of ecstasy written on her face. Lily never thought that she'd ever seen her so happy in her life.

"Okay, stand there, and don't move a muscle or say a word," Rin commanded, getting to work.

She flicked her wand once, and the silkiest piece of white fabric floated up to Lily and wrapped itself tightly around her. Rin swished her wand again, and arm and head holes came cut themselves magically. She did this over and over again, circling Lily thousands of times as she did this.

Swish, selves.

Swish, a layer of see through covered her.

Swish.

Swish.

Swish.

After about two and a half hours of swishes, Lily's dress was complete. Completely beautiful that is.

It was long, down to her feet, and the sleeves were long and flowy. When it reached her elbow, it started to open out, and fell down to her knees. She had a square cut neck line, and her veil was made of a fabric that felt like water.

"Rin? How the hell do you come up with all these?" Lily had gotten off the stool that Rin had ordered her to stay on and started looking at the drafts of designs she had done before.

"I have no idea…, they just come," Rin smiled absentmindedly, "Now, stand back on the stool and take a look tell me what you think."

Lily had not seen the dress, but when she turned around she screamed and nearly fell off the stool.

"Oh my God! Did you seriously make this?" Lily asked.

"Is everything okay, I just heard someone scream?" Mrs. Sugarsweets asked coming into the room. "Oh Lily! You look wonderful! Who made this?"

"Rin," Lily said, and both turned to look at Rin, who began blushing.

"Really! Rin you should do this professionally! It looks magnificent!"

"Erin!" Mr. Sugarsweets asked, walking through the door, sporting a nice shirt and tie but wearing a pair of running pants, "Have you seen my dress pants?" Then noticing Lily, his jaw dropped.

"Lily! You look so beautiful!" he exclaimed.

"Thanks," Lily blushed.

"And guess who made it!" Mrs. Sugarsweets exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her daughter.

"No! Not!"

Rin bit her lip, and nodded, "Yes, dad," she said quietly.

"Wow!" he breathed. "We knew you had talent, but not this much! I'm so proud of you! And Lily too! You're both talented!" He hugged them both.

"Dad, you know, sometimes you act like mom," Rin giggled.

"Right, well, 'Bert, let's get you some pants," Mrs. Sugarsweets pointed out, giving them each a final hug. Parents are sometimes the weirdest creatures that walk the planet.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27, Positioning

It had been a few days after Rin had made Lily's wedding dress when they decided to announce who the Maid of Honor and the Best Man would be at the wedding.

"Hey!" Lily greeted all the marauders and Rin, when they walked through the door of the Leaky Cauldron.

"So we ordered you here to tell you something important," James announced in a business like way.

"Obviously, you hardly ever order to do anything Prongs," Sirius spoke gruffly toward James. He looked oddly disheveled, with a sock on his head.

"What we wanted to tell you, or rather ask you, is: Padfoot, will you be my best man?" James spoke up smiling at how childish Sirius could be.

"Oh, I don't know mate. Do you really want someone who slimed you and everyone in the vicinity when you proposed to Lily?" Sirius laughed.

"Now that you think about it-"

"No! I'll do it! I was only kidding," Sirius spoke up fast, cutting James off. Everyone was laughing by now.

"Well, that's one thing. Rin?" Lily began.

"Yes?"

"Well, I really wanted my sister to do this, but seeing as how she blames me for my parents death I don't think it's going to happen. So… do you want to be my Maid of Honor?" Lily asked hopefully.

"What, you look like I'd say no. Of course I would be your Maid of Honor. And I'd be honored!" Rin went over to Lily and hugged her.

"That takes care of that, Moony?"

"Yeah Prongs?"

"We thought that you could be the Usher. And Peter could be the flower girl," James joked. "No Peter, you could be the Usher with Remus."

"Okay then…." Peter said, sort of downcast. Somehow he was going to screw something up.

Lily got up and announced: "I have to go, I still need two more bridesmaids. Rin, do you think you could help me?"

"Yeah, coming," Rin said in a sing song voice following her out the door.

"Okay, I need to go to America for a while, and get in touch with a very old friend. Do you think that you could watch over everything while I catch up. Then when I come back I've got two more people I want to invite. And since you're the bridesmaid, you can come up with the dresses you want to wear to the wedding. I have complete trust, especially after you did my dress," Lily told Rin when they got out the door.

"Sure, but when are you leaving?" Rin asked her, as they walked down the street, toward the Surgarsweets mansion.

"Tomorrow. That is if I can't make the phone call tonight. Either way, I'd be glad to see him," then seeing the look on Rin's face she added, "No, it's not like that," and pushed her playfully.

"Anyway, that's my plan. All that I need you to do is watch over things. I should only be gone for a day or two."

"Okay, but tell me what America's like when you get back. 'Kay?" Rin started giggling, Lily assumed it was from the sugar in the cookies she was eating while they were in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Definitely!" Lily giggled because Rin giggled.

Soon they couldn't stop giggling, and were laughing hysterically at nothing. When they finally reached home, out of breath from laughing so hard, Lily thought, _'This is what friends do, laugh with you for no apparent reason.'_


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28, "Thank You _So_ Much!"

It had been two days like she told Rin, so she said her good- byes to James, Remus, Sirius, Peter, and Rin. She planned to meet her old friend at the corner of First and Second Avenue in New York. He still didn't know that she was a witch, but she was going to tell him today, and just hope that he'd be okay with it.

"Hey there's my Tree," a voice said from behind her.

Lily spun around. "Hey, I've got something important to tell you. And ask you as well. Do you think we could sit?"

"Sure, there's a coffee shop down the corner. Are you okay? You look very nervous," he asked her walking through the open door.

"Yes. No. I really don't know, Smurf, I really don't. I must be breaking about 1,000 rules right now," Lily said more to herself than to him.

"Okay, I'm just going to come out with it and say it. Stuart, you're like a brother to me, and for the past ten years I've lied to you."

A puzzeled look came across his face, but Lily just plowed on.

"Do you remember when we were 11 and we stopped going to the same school?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Lily ignored him.

"Do you remember when my mum told you that I was going to a school as a forign exchange student in Brazil? Well, I wasn't."

"Lily, I swear to God, if you're going to tell me you commited murder-"

But Lily cut him off. "Murder? I? No! See, since I was 11, I've attened a school called Hogwarts. You see, I'm no normal person. I'm a witch." Lily braced herself.

"A what?" Stuart said in amazement. "Surely you lie. A witch?"

"I'm not lying. There are more like me too. Do you remember last christmas when we saw each other at that resteraunt?"

"Yeah, you were with those two blokes and their family," Stuart pointed out.

"Yeah, they're wizards. And do you remember James?"

"Messy hair, kind of small?"

"Yeah, well he's my fiance, and I was wondering, since my parents died, maybe you could walk me down the alter? You're like a brother to me. It would really mean a lot," Lily hoped his answer would be yes.

Lily was surprised that he gave his answer without hesitation.

"Of course!" he yelled making everybody in the shop jump with surprise, while he jumped and hugged Lily like she would vanish in a few moments.

With a huge smile forming on her face, she told him, "You can't tell anyone though. You have to promise me!"

"I won't," he promised.

"Not even your family or your girlriend, or anyone."

"Not a soul."

"Thank you _so_ much! The wedding is on December 31st. I know that it's really far away, that's why I'm willing to pay for an airplane ticket," Lily told him, sitting back down again.

"No! You'll be spending a hell of a lot of money already on the wedding. I've got some money saved. I'll pay for it," he told her.

"But- but-"

"No but's, I'm paying, I'm coming. That's final!" He laughed and hugged Lily again. "Congrats."

"Now get back to England, I'm sure your fiance misses you," Stuart told her.

"Yeah, sure. Just one thing," Lily looked at him.

"Hum…?" He looked at her.

"I thought you might have wanted to see some proof. You know, not may people believe in Witches, or Wizards," Lily told him, looking him square in the eye.

"Well, I promised your mother, but…."

"But what?" Lily pushed on.

"Well, before I left, she told me about you. See, I was really angry at you for leaving. Your mom took pity on me, and said that you went to a school for witches and wizards, then she made me promise not to tell anyone," he finished, looking down a little.

"Ohhh…."

"Yeah, well, the point is I knew, and you told me when you felt ready. I won't tell anyone, _ever_, I swear! And I'm honored that you consider me a brother (though a very distant one) and want me at your wedding."

"I don't care you know, but I've got to tell someone else that I'm a witch and I just hope she'll be as okay with it as you are," Lily told him as they walked out the door.

"Who is it? Scarlet?" He asked, walking along side her.

"Didn't you hear?" He shook his head. "She died, tring to help me fight are really evil, vile, wizard who hates all muggles and muggle borns," Lily said quietly, a tear trickling down her cheek.

"Er… muggle? Muggle borns?"

"Oh, right. You're a muggle. People who aren't a witch or wizard. Muggle borns are witches or wizards like me who have non- magical parents," she explained.

"Oh."

"Well, James will probably be worried. I only told him I'd be gone for a few hours."

"How can you be gone for a few hours? Don't you have to fly?"

"Fly? No, no, no, I can apparate. You know, dissaperate in one place on second, and appear in another the next."

"Ah… I wish I could do that. Then I could actually be on time for something," he joked.

"Well, it's a lot harder than it seems. On my first test I managed to split my body in half. My legs were in London and the other half in Minsk." They both laughed.

"Here is where I want you to be at a certain time and place, so I can pick you up and bring you to my friends house, where I've been staying for the past three years. Thanks again for doing this. It really does mean a lot."

"It's nothing. I'll be there. You can count on me. And I promise not to tell a soul," he whispered in her ear as they hugged good - bye. The next thing he knew, a small pop sounded, and a waving Lily was his last sight.

Lily eventually solved her problem. She went over to Scarlet's old house where her mother was still residing and asked her to be one of her bridesmaids. Scalret's mother, like Stuart, did not find it revolting that Lily was a witch, but she did need a little persuading. Scarlet's mother did agree to meet Lily at the air port to pick her up and bring her to the Sugarsweets manson, just like Stuart.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29, "It's Here! It's Here!"

On the morning of August 30th, Lily ran around the entire Manson at 5 o'clock in the morning screaming "It's here! It's here! I'm getting married today!"

"LILY!" everyone stuck they're heads out of their door, and yelled in a groggy voice, "GO BACK TO BED! IT'S 5 IN THE MORNING!"

Lily blushed a very beautiful shade of scarlet and squeaked a "sorry" as everyone closed their doors.

"Sorry Lily, but please, We are happy for you. We just don't appreciate being waken up at 5 in the morning," Rin told Lily as she walked to her door. "Try to go back to sleep. You'll need to be wake for the honeymoon, if you know what I'm saying…" Rin shut the door softly.

Lily went to her room, but she found it incredibly hard to fall asleep, so she just watched the sun rise through her window. Thinking of all the happy and bad things that happened, and will happen.

At nine o'clock, everyone was doing something. Lily was having her hair done by Scarlet's mother, who was an amazing hair stylist. Rin was tring to get some for of transportation that could bring them to the Hogwarts castle. Stuart was attempting to keep a straight face as he saw all the commotion, since all he had to do was put on a suit.

Eventually, at noon, everyone residing in the Sugarsweets Manson made it to Hogwarts. The place where the ceremony was to be held was still being set up. 'Luckily it doesn't start for another three hours,' Lily thought as she looked at the mass of people making their way, trying to set up things.

"C'mon Lily, everyone still needs to get dressed!" Rin spoke over the noise, and walked inside the castle, holding Lily by the wrist.

Two and a half hours later, Lily was standing in the center of the room, being admired. Her dress was the most elegant thing ever. A few days after Rin made it, she decided it needed tweaking.

Now, as Lily looked at it, the sleeves and the top were still the same. The bottom changed a lot. It flowed like water, and shined like the sun's light hitting the surface of many tiny, tiny diamonds. It didn't drag on the floor like it ha before, it just touched the surface. The necklace James had given her was still on, and like she told herself when she first got it, she had never taken it off.

Lily's dress wasn't the only thing that was the center of attention. The bridesmaids dresses were perfect too.

Blue, long and graceful, without sleeves. People always complained how the bridesmaids would have to wear horrible dresses, but in the end they always come out just as beautiful as the next.

After a whole series of complements, especially form Sirius and Remus about her dress (and the bridesmaids too). They started to do the pre – wedding ritual. The handing out of 'Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.'

Scarlet's mother was first.

"Something old," she held up a scarlet lily, "I know that my Scarlet would just love to see the day that you get married. She would have loved it more if she could be here in person. But this is as best as I can give you. The first scarlet lily that you and Scarlet left behind when you did your first prank ever." She placed it by her ear, with tears forming in her eyes.

With tears forming in everyone's eyes.

Rin was next.

"Something new," she began, reaching in her purse, "I made this little veil, I hope you like it," Rin placed it on her head, careful not to cover the scarlet colored flower. The top part was see through, but the bottom looked like it was made of white silk.

Stuart was came up to Lily, and gave her, her something borrowed.

"Here. It's my lucky rabbit's foot. This little thing has done more for me than it can be repaid for. I want you to have it during the wedding." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "May it bring the best of luck to you."

Just then, Sirius and Remus came in, sort of out of breath.

"Wait, we- have- the - something – blue," Sirius walked into the room. "We had the hardest time convincing James to let us come here. We had to play hide and seek. He's paranoid you're going to leave him at the alter or something. Anyway, here's you're something blue," Remus explained, while Sirius held out a blue garter.

"I tried to get him to et something else blue, but he insisted…." Remus went on, more to himself, but no one noticed. Lily slipped it up her leg.

"Well I like it," Lily told Remus to calm him down. He's was just too innocent, either that or a tad too shy. Lily went with the shy theory.

Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, came trough the door, and announced that the ceremony is beginning and that people should take their places.

This was it. There was no turning back now.

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	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30, "You Help Make Me Who I Am"

Music started playing, and everyone stood where they were supposed to stand.

The flower girl approached the five men at the front. Dumbledore was the one who was going to unite Lily and James. Sirius was standing to the right of James, and Remus was to the right of Sirius, and the same went for Peter.

Scarlet's mother went down the isle after the flower girl, followed by Rin.

When the wedding march began, everyone rose. Lily, blushingly, walked down the isle. Stuart was guiding her. He doubted whether she'd make it anyway, she was trembling so much.

"Relax, this is supposed to be the best day of your life, not the most nerve racking one," Stuart laughed in her ear. Lily shook her head in acknowledgement.

"You'll be fine," he whispered when they reached the landing. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and lifted the veil. As he handed over Lily's hand, he told James to take good care of her. Then left for his seat in the audience.

"Today we a joined together to witness this extraordinary event known as marriage. Do you wish to say your vows now or later?" Dmbledore began.

"Now would be fine," James spoke up, his eyes never leaving Lily's. "Ever since we first began school at Hogwarts, when we were eleven, I knew that you would be the girl that I married," Mrs. Potter started crying, as Mr. Potter clapped her hand in a gentle, reassuring way. "It took a while to get you to finally go out with me. Seven years o be exact! But you eventually caved, and even when you rejected me, all those times, I still loved it. I still heard your voice, and still saw you smile in the hallways. Summer's were horrible, not being able to see your face for days.

"See, the thing that got me most about you was that you are beautiful, smart, loving, sweet, unafraid to speak your mind. But your best trait is that you have got to be the most original person on the planet. Next to Sirius here," he added, seeing Sirius face in the mirror on the opposite side of the wall. Everyone gave a little chuckle as Sirius put on a big goofy smile.

"I love you Lily, and there's not another place in the world, or person in the world where I'd want to share my life with besides with you. You know how there's some unexplainable force that makes the earth go around the sun? Well, you're my unexplainable force that makes me go round," James smiled as he gave her one last kiss before they got married. Mrs. Potter was completely engulfed in tears, as were many other mothers.

"When I was little, I used to hear about how lovely and beautiful princesses were rescued by brave and handsome knights. I believed that for a long time, until my real father left my mother and sister and I. I never told you that my father wasn't my biological father, but as far as I'm concerned he is, or was," she corrected herself quickly.

"Anyway, I stopped believing that love was a good thing after that, even though my new father was great, and made me the happiest child ever. He punished me, and let me do what I want. I just don't like pain. I don't like emotional, or physical pain. I don't like it at all. So whenever someone asked me out I rejected them. But you! You wouldn't give up!

"We had some hard times, and good times," she fingered her locket. "You just had to push your way through… you just had to keep trying, and eventually I gave in. Eventually, I fell. Part of the reason I hated you was not just because you were egotistical and big headed, it was because I hated the fact that I loved you. I hated that you might be the one I would need to fall on. That's what happened to my mother, she let him know just how much he meant, and he ran."

"But I would never-" James interrupted.

"I know that, now. Now I know that I could tell you that you were the only person I'd ever want to have a family with. The only one I would want to have a child with. The only one that wouldn't let me fall when I needed you most."

"Never."

"And that's why I know that not only can I count on you to be there, but I can count on you to love me the same way that I love you. Because ever since I met you, I've felt more alive than anyone could feel. You help make me who I am," Lily finished.

After a long moment of silence, Dumbledore spoke up.

"Would anyone like to add something? No one? We shall continue with the ceremony now. If anyone has any problem with this, speak up now, or forever hold your peace."

Everyone in the audience looked around the room, seeing if anyone did have a problem.

"Please repeat after me, Miss. Evans."

The normal wedding vows were said, and the rings were put on.

"You may now kiss the bride," Dumbledore permitted as James placed his ring on Lily's finger, and kissed her. Many of the young bachelors gave whoops, and over the whopping, James and Lily could hear Dumbledore yelling, in a surprisingly strong voice for his age, "May I announce the newly weds, The Potters!"


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31, "Amazed"

"A toast to my best friend and his wife," Sirius stood up and shouted, silencing everyone.

"I knew Lily and James since we were wee little lads, and never would anyone expect this outcome. Seeing them so happy together, just brngs tears to my eyes," Sirius wiped away and invible tear. "No really, you never could have asked for a more in love couple than these two."

Sirius raised his glass in the air, and turned to his left where Lily and James were seated. "The best of Luck to you."

Clincking of glasses could be heard throughout the entire Great Hall.

Peter got up and gave his blessing to the newly weds.

"You guys are perfect together. I hope that your marrage is a long and fruitful one," again clinking.

Lastly came Remus.

"James, you are the best friend, you'd make sacrifices and do anything for your friends. What I'm trying to say is that you are the best friend anyone could ask for. Lily is an increably lucky woman."

"Lily is lucky, James is a great guy," Rin spoke up. "But James is going to have to keep her in check. Remember, she's got a temper like fire, hence the red hair."

A few more people spoke up during the dinner, and some trough dessert. Some people were betting that they would have to go to the bathroom ten times the normal amount because they were drinking to so many toasts and blessings. Some people stopped listening, and just shouted "Hear, Hear!" every once in a while.

Finally, when everyone finished eating, they moved the tables away and created a huge dance floor. The Harpies struck up a slow song, and Lily looked amazed.

"The groom has informed me that, at the last minute, they decided to change their wedding song, and if I do say so myself, this one isn't that bad for a guy's choice," Victoria Moran announced, "Would the bride and groom please come to the center of the dance floor."

Lily took James's hand, and folled him to the dance floor, Glowing with every step.

Every time our eyes meet  
This feeling inside me  
Is almost more than I can take  
Baby when you touch me  
I can feel how much you love me  
And it just blows me away  
I've never been this close to anyone or anything  
I can hear your thoughts  
I can see your dreams  
I don't know how you do what you do  
I'm so in love with you  
It just keeps getting better  
I wanna spend the rest of my life  
With you by my side  
Forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
Baby I'm amazed by you

The smell of your skin  
The taste of your kiss  
The way you whisper in the dark  
Your hair all around me  
Baby you surround me  
You touch every place in my heart  
Oh it feels like the first time every time  
I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes

I don't know how you do what you do  
I'm so in love with you  
It just keeps getting better  
I wanna spend the rest of my life  
With you by my side  
Forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
Baby I'm amazed by you

Every little thing that you do  
I'm so in love with you  
It just keeps getting better  
I wanna spend the rest of my life  
With you by my side  
Forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
Oh, every little thing that you do  
Baby I'm amazed by you.

Lonestar – Amazed

Lily knew that this was going to be the happiest day of her entire life.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32, Twelve Years Later

Lily and James had the best time ever on their honeymoon. Twelve years should have changed something, but they were still in love like they just had begun their lives together.

In the past twelve years Lily had found herself a very good job in the Arour department of the Minystry of Magic and James was one of the best Healers in the wizrding world.

A year into their marriage, Lily had gotten pregnant. Nine months later came along a healthy baby girl they named Topanga. She looked exactly like Lily, but she had Jame's nose.

This year Topanga was supposed to turn 11 and start her Hogwarts carrier. But Voldemort met her first. Her life was taken from her on her birthday.

Lily and James's marriage might have died, but Lily was pregnant again. On July 31st. It was a boy. A beautiful boy who looked just like James; but with the most beautiful green eyes. Lily's eyes.

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	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33, The End….

It was Halloween. Harry's first Halloween, and Lily had dressed him up like a pumkin. James wanted to turn him into a zombie, but gound the pumkin just as loveable.

"A- Wee!" James tossed Harry in the air, and cought him again. As James was pressing his nose against Harry's little baby one, Lily came trough the door dressed as a cat and James was dressed as a mummy.

"James, don't throw Harry…. Do you want him to hit the celing just like you did to Topanga?"

"Oh, right..."

"Anyway, let's head out now, before it gets too late and Harry falls asleep,"Lily picked Harry up from James arms.

"Yeah, then get back for a little loving?" James wiggled he eyebrows.

"James," Lily teased, "Not in front of the _baby_!"

"What he doesn't know anything…" James kissed her neck.

"Pa- foo!" Harry yelled!

"Bess you," James told his son.

"Pa-foo!"

"I think he's trying to say Padfoot, James," Lily opened the door, only to be greeted by an Aladin, and Rin as Jasmine. Peter followed in as Abu, Aldin's pet monkey, and Remus was Jenie.

"Wow! Did you guys plan or what?" James wistled.

"Rin chose it, and if I do say so I don't make that bad of an Allidin. Do I?" Sirius announced spinning.

"Not at all! Remus! You're the perfect Jenie! And look at Peter!" Lily exclaimed. "Oh Harry, don't pull on Peter's tail!" Lily laughed, as Harry giggled every time he dropped his tail.

"I got the most candy!" Sirius exclaimed, emptying his bag fll of candy onto the table.

"No way mate! I did!" James dumped his on the other side.

"Definaitly me! Remus dumped his n the floor, almost covering it.

"Shit! Look at Harry's?" Sirius said in awe.

"How did he get so much? James, I think you've got competiton!"

"My own son beat me? But that's not supposed to happen until I'm an old and wrinkly man!" James excamed.

"Well when he's got two really good looking girls giving him all thir candy, you definatly know that he's beaten you," Peter added promptly, muching on his candy.

Two hours later, everyone who was not a residence of the Potter household, went to their own homes.

It was 10 and Lily and James were seated by the fireplace, Harry in between them, asleep.

There was a knock at the door. James got up to see who it was. Lily looked alarmed. She had a bad feeling about this.

Just as James hand reahed the knob, the door flew open and cold, red, glaring eyes stared at them through the darkness.

"Lily! Run! Take Harry and Run! I'll hold him off!" James yelled putting his wand at the ready.

Lily grabbed the sleeping form of Harry, who woke instantly, and ran up to the nerusery, hugging him as tight to her body as she could. She tucked him into his cradle, and told him everything was going to be all right.

A dull thudding sound could be hear, Lily's only thought was James, dead, on the floor. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Lily! Your time has come!" He was opening doors as he walked silently through each room, searching for a huddled Lily. "Prepare to see what death is…" his taunting voice made Lily's blood boil with haterid. First he got Scarle so long ago, then her parents and Topanga. Now he had gotten James. She was all alone.

"Harry, I want you to remember that mummy and daddy love you very very much!" Lily bent over the cradle, tucking away a piece of messy hair from blocking his face.

The door swung open, "Now is the end! Hand me the boy!"

"No! Not Harry! Please! Take me instead!" Lily pleaded.

"Move away you silly little girl!" Voldemort hissed.

"No! Please! Take me! Not Harry!" Lily continued.

"Fine, one more life taken won't be much. Advada Kedavra!"

A dull thud sounded. And crying could be heard.

"Now! This is the end. Just like your older sister. Advada Kedavra!"

Something happened. Harry's head had began to come apart, as if it were trying to physically cut his soul apart from his physical form.

Voldemort, however, was facing a whole problem of his own. His body had turned to dust, just like the rest of the house, but his should had turned to mist. In pain he fled from the house, and was never seen again.

In the once beautiful house tat belonged to the Potters, lay a tiny baby boy. Crying, wanting his mummy and daddy to pick him up and hug him. He didn't realize that he had become the most famous wizard in the entire world nor did he care. He just wanted to see his mummy and daddy's face smile at him again.

The world as everyone had known it changed that Halloween night.

THE END


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